Author Notes: These blintzes are light, lemony and not too sweet. Our office mate Avi shared the recipe with me, which is his grandmother’s, and I’ve been wanting to make it for months now. I finally did, and let’s just say I’ll be making it for years to come. —Merrill Stubbs
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients
The Pancakes
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1
cup milk, plus more if needed
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2
large eggs
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1
tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
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1
pinch salt
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1
cup all-purpose flour
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1
piece Butter for frying
The Filling
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2
7.5-ounce packages (Avi’s grandmother recommends Friendship brand) farmer cheese, salted
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1/4
cup sugar
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2
egg yolks
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1
lemon, zested
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1
teaspoon lemon juice
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1
teaspoon vanilla extract
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1/8
teaspoon salt
Directions
- To make the pancake batter, whisk together the milk, eggs, oil and salt in a large bowl. Add the flour gradually, whisking constantly until the batter is smooth. Set aside.
- Stir together all of the filling ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Set an 8-inch frying pan (I used a non-stick crepe pan) on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a swipe of butter. Pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pancake batter, swirling the pan to create a thin pancake. (If the batter seems to thick and you have trouble swirling it evenly in the pan, whisk in a little more milk.) Cook the pancake about 30 seconds, until the top looks dry and the edges start to curl. Use your fingers or a spatula to remove the pancake and set aside on a plate to cool. Then, make as many more pancakes as the batter will allow.
- Let the pancakes cool a little. Lay out about 4 pancakes, pale side up, and put about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling in the center of each. Fold each of the pancakes up into a square package, making sure the corners are completely closed.
- Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the blintzes in batches until deep golden brown and warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with applesauce on the side if you like.
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Photo by Ty Mecham
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First, you make the batter for the pancakes — starting with eggs.
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A little milk…
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A little oil…
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And a good whisk!
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Then, it's time to combine the wet ingredients with the flour — slow but steady wins the race!
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This is really a gorgeous batter.
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Now, onto the filling!
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Farmer's cheese is the base — crumbly, creamy and a little salty.
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I added lemon zest. Because why not?
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More eggs — this time, you use just the yolks.
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A splash of vanilla, but not too much!
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I cut back on the sugar because I wanted a filling that was just barely sweet — add more if you like.
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So pretty!
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Time to make the pancakes — really crepes. If your batter isn't thin enough to swirl around like this, you can add a little more milk.
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I used a non-stick crepe pan, which worked beautifully.
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No need to flip the crepes — as soon as the batter on top looks dry, they're done!
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Time for the assembly.
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I found it easiest to put together a few at a time.
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The pancake will stick to the filling as you fold, which is handy.
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Turns out blintzes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
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I went with square!
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A quick swim in some hot butter browns the edges and heats the filling through.
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I served mine with applesauce, but they're delicious on their own too!
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