by John Mitzewich
Serves: 5 people.
Preparation time: 1 hour and 30 minutes.
For The Batter:
For The Filling:
In a blender, combine the Milk, Flour, Water, 3 Eggs, Oil, Sugar, Salt and Extract. Blend until completely smooth about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Let the Batter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
While that sits, in a mixing bowl, whisk the 2 soft Cheeses, 1 Egg, 2 T. of Powdered Sugar, Lemon Zest and Salt together, until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
When the Batter has rested, heat a 10-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat on a stove. Spray cooking oil in the skillet and when hot, pour in ¼ C. of the Batter. Immediately swirl the Batter around to coat the bottom of the skillet. Cook until the surface looks dry, about 1 minute. Flip the Crêpe and briefly cook the second side, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate when done. Repeat the process for the remaining Crêpes.
++++Pre-heat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a baking dish.
Spoon 3-4 T. of Filling onto the first Crêpe about 1 inch from the edge nearest you. Flatten the Filling slightly. Fold in the sides. Fold the Crêpe away from you a few times and flatten slightly to form a rectangle. End with the seam on the bottom. Make three.
Melt Butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 3 Blintzes at a time in the skillet, until they are golden brown, then turn them over gently to brown the other side, about 1 minute per side.
Transfer the 3 to the greased baking dish. Fill, roll and cook three more. Repeating until the baking dish is full.
Place the full baking dish in the 325° oven and bake for 12 minutes. Cool the Blintzes on a plate for 10 minutes or more. Serve 3 at a time and garnish with Powdered Sugar and Fresh Fruit or Fruit Preserves.
You can make these ahead of time up to the ++++ line, refrigerate the Crêpes, then continue the next steps, cooking them just before serving.
”Blintz” - They come from Ashkenazi Jewish Cuisine. It is soft Cheese wrapped in a French Crêpe or Russian Blini. Sweetened cheese and sometimes fruit, like Raisins, are traditional fillings. They are served on Shavout (Feast of Weeks). The word "Blintz" comes from the Slavic word for "Pancake". Nearly every culture has a dish made from "flat cakes".
