In continuation of posts from baking and cooking over the holidays… a crepe and cheese blintz recipe! I’ll be back to my regular programming soon. Although, I’m not really sure what my regular programming is… and maybe it’s better that way. A mix of things, right?

I woke up one morning over the holidays having a craving for a breakfast that I had with my dad every once in a while on Sundays when I was growing up. Cheese Blintzes. Of course, that requires making crepes which scares me half to death, but I thought I’d give it an attempt anyway, especially after having some mild success with croissants.

First up, making the crepe batter. I used Julia Child’s recipe, because well… is there anyone better (and safer) to use than Julia?

Julia Child’s Crepe Recipe (for about 14 crepes)
1 cup cold water
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 Tablespoons previously melted butter, plus more butter for cooking
I also added a teaspoon vanilla and a Tablespoon of sugar since I was making sweet crepes.

1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender. I recommend sifting the flour in if you have a small sifter, because it really makes for a nicer texture. After blending (do not overmix), strain all the ingredients through a sieve. Refrigerate mixture for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

I also wanted to include my own recipe for the filling, for the cheese blintzes. I like the filling to still have the cottage cheese lumps (I like the texture), so if you don’t like that, you can just mix all the ingredients together until smooth.

Cheese Blintz Filling Recipe for Strawberry Cheese Blintzes
1 large container of cottage cheese (approx 14-16 oz)
Half a package of cream cheese (about 4 oz)
1/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla (or a vanilla bean if you have one)
Squeeze of lemon to taste

1. Combine the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla together with a whisk or electric beater till smooth. Carefully fold in the cottage cheese until combined, but do not overmix so the texture of the cottage cheese remains.

Procedure

Now it’s time to make the crepes! It’s nice to have a bit of a “crepe making station”… I recommend having a bowl of pre-melted butter with a pastry or silicone brush on hand… as well as a long flat spatula, a 1/4 cup (for measuring the batter), and a good medium sized non-stick frying pan.

Step 1: Prepare your fillings (see below for ideas).

Step 2: Heat the sauce pan to medium heat. Melt a very thin coating of butter on the pan.

Step 3: Ladle a 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, and QUICKLY tilt the pan to cover the bottom with a very thin and even coating of the batter.

Step 4: When the edges shrink and brown away from the pan, it is time to flip it. Flip with the pan, or use a long spatula to turn it over. Repeat with the other side until golden brown.

For Banana-Caramel Crepes: Fill the insides of the crepes with thinly sliced bananas and some chocolate sauce, maybe like nutella… and roll up. Drizzle caramel over and serve with vanilla bean ice cream and fudge or chopped chocolate pieces.

For Strawberry Cheese Blintzes: Fill the inside of the crepes generously with the cream cheese/cottage cheese filling. Roll up. Generously drizzle maple syrup over and top with lots of sliced strawberries.

A good way to start the morning!