As far as I'm concerned, cheese blintzes are the world's most perfect food. Can it get much better than a thin crepe wrapped around lightly sweetened cheese and then fried in butter?
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 20 minutesminutes
Total: 30 minutesminutes
Servings: 4to 6 servings (makes about 12 blintzes).
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crepes:
1cupmilk (I use whole)(8 ounces)
4large eggs
1tablespoonsugar(1/2 ounce)
1/4teaspoonfine sea salt
1/2cupbuckwheat flour(2 1/2 ounces)
1/4cupsweet rice flour (such as Mochiko brand)(1 1/2 ounces)
1/4cupgluten-free oat flour(1 ounce)
1tablespoonmelted butter
Cheese filling:
1poundfarmer cheese (the soft, spoonable kind with a ricotta-like texture)(about 2 cups)
1 1/2tablespoonssugar
1egg yolk
big pinch of salt (1/16 teaspoon)
1tablespoonmelted butter
For frying and serving the crepes:
2tablespoonsbutter or ghee
1pintbasket of strawberries, hulled and sliced (see headnote for more suggestions)
maple syrup
greek yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche
Instructions
Make the crepes:
In a blender, combine the milk, eggs, sugar, salt and flours, and mix on low to combine, scraping down the sides of the blender if flour sticks to them. With the motor running, blend in the melted butter.
Heat an 8" crepe pan over a medium flame, and use a scrunched up paper towel to swipe it with a bit of butter. (Too much butter will cause the batter to slip.) As you make your crepes, you'll want to stir the batter to incorporate the flecks of buckwheat which tend to sink to the bottom, so pour the batter into a measuring pitcher or bowl and stick a spatula in there. I like to pour the batter into a 1/4 cup measure, and rest the measure on a small plate to catch the drips. Also have a large plate by the stove on which to stack the cooked crepes.
Pour a scant 1/4 cup of batter onto the crepe pan, tilting, swirling, and shuffling to coat it evenly with a thin layer of batter. Cook the crepe until just barely set on top, 30-60 seconds. Use a thin, metal spatula to ease the edges of the crepe up off the pan, then slide (or drathe crepe onto the plate, cooked side down. It should be barely colored on the bottom.
Continue cooking the crepes, swiping the pan with a bit of butter between crepes, and adjusting the heat so that the pan doesn't burn but the crepes cook in 30-60 seconds each.
Make the filling:
In a medium bowl, stir together the cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and salt. Quickly stir in the melted butter.
Fill the blintzes:
Place 2 1/2 tablespoons of cheese filling on the lower third of a crepe. fold the bottom up over the cheese. Fold the sides in so that they just touch, then roll from the filled end up to form something that looks like an egg roll. (See photos in post above.) Stack the filled blintzes on another plate.
When the blintzes have all been filled, melt some butter or ghee in your crepe pan over medium heat (or use another large skillet if you like). (Preheat your oven to 200º if you're making these for a crowd and need to keep them warm while you fry the next batch.) Fry the blintzes until they are golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes, then flip and brown on the second side, another 2 minutes. Have the heat low enough so that the filling heats through without the bottoms burning.
Eat the blintzes!
Serve the warm blintzes with berries, maple syrup, and optionally a dollop of yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche.
Extra blintzes keep brilliantly, fried or un-fried, in the refrigerator (for up to 3 dayor freezer (for up to 2 months).
Notes
Adapted a whole lot from Bon Appetit.If gluten isn't an issue for you, feel free to use 1/4 cup each all-purpose and whole wheat flours in place of the rice and oat flours.Farmer (or "pot") cheese is similar in texture to ricotta, but with a tangier flavor and made using a different process. If you can't find farmer's cheese, you can make it yourself, or try using ricotta instead.I love these with strawberries in the spring, but any in-season berry would be delicious here. Try them with apple, quince or pear compote in the fall.All ounce measurements here are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of four servings.