Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce for Festive Friday!

Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

Happy Festive Friday everyone! Today’s recipe comes to us from Lynne of 365 Days of Baking blog. Yes, you read that right, Lynne made a commitment to bake a new recipe every day for a year and write about it. We are so fortunate to steal a little of her time because she just completed her adventure!

Can you believe how hard it would be to bake something new every day? Just coming up with the ideas for recipes and deciding which to make when would be enough to keep me from doing it. But we who can sit back and experience it vicariously are so much the richer for it.

She also addresses the question we are all asking … how do you expect to do all this baking and not gain a ton of weight? Well, true to her word, she kept a running commentary on her weight and exercising to avoid becoming a blimp. It makes for entertaining reading, LOL.

Lynne recently decided to try going gluten-free as an experiment to help clear up her daughter’s acne without the use of medicine. So those of you with gluten sensitivities will be happy to see some recipes that are just for you!

Thank you Lynne for taking time out of your busy schedule to share this recipe with us. I can’t wait to hear what your next challenge will be!!

Cooking Crepe in Pan; Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

Hi everyone! I’m Lynne from 365 Days of Baking. I am so thrilled to be doing a guest post today for Jane here at The Heritage Cook! She is a fellow Secret Recipe Club member, has a phenomenal blog with so many amazing recipes, and has many memories of spending time in the kitchen with her grandmother as I do with mine.

I recently ended my year of baking and am now extremely excited to venture on to salads, smoothies and crockpot recipes among others. Of course, I will still be baking because it had become such a habit and I do find it somewhat therapeutic, especially when kneading some bread dough.

Crepes ready for filling; Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

When Jane asked me to guest post for Festive Fridays, I have to say that I had a difficult time deciding what to make. I didn’t want to make the standard cake or cupcakes because they’re usually a given when it comes to celebrations, but I knew it had to be something that is dear to our family and is only ever made for holidays or birthdays. With those things in mind, I knew that it was a no-brainer that I had to share with you my recipe for Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce. This is one recipe that has made family and friends swoon when I make them for Christmas, Easter or for our kids on their birthdays. My three teenagers love them so much that there is an ongoing friendly argument as to who will inherit my crepe pan when I die. Nice, huh?!

And PLEASE don’t be intimidated when I say crepe, they are not difficult to make and just take some practice. There are many videos on YouTube that show you exactly how to do it if you haven’t made them before such as this one, or you can purchase crepes that are pre-made. You can usually find them in the produce section of your grocery store near the berries.

Crepe with dollop of filling in center; Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

After I set up the cottage cheese to drain today, my daughter walked into the kitchen and spotted it sitting on the counter. She asked, “What are you doing?” And it wasn’t the casual what are you doing, it was the OMG, WHAT are you doing??!! The kids know that these are only made for special occasions and she was perplexed, but yet thrilled to see the bowl on the counter. She then asked if her brother knew what I was doing. Upon hearing this, my 14 year old son walks into the kitchen to see what we’re discussing and his jaw drops to the floor because he’s so excited.

Yes, these things are that good.

So, even if you don’t make the crepes from scratch, I encourage you to make the rest of the recipe. I assure you, you won’t be disappointed!

Bottom of crepe folded up over filling; Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

I ALWAYS double, if not triple the recipe because I know they’re going to be eaten (and just between you and I, I always eat a good two or three while I’m making them).

Thank you, Jane, for allowing me to join you all today! It has been a pleasure sharing one of my family’s most favorite recipes.

I’m sure that when you make these for your loved ones they will treasure them as much as mine do and some wonderful memories will be created.

I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!!

The stunning final product! Photo Credit: Lynne Feifer

Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce

2015-07-06 18:29:40

Yields 30

From Lynne Feifer of 365 Days of Baking

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Ingredients

1. Cheese Filling
2. 24 oz cottage cheese
3. 3/4 cup granulated sugar
4. 1 egg
5. 1 egg yolk
6. 1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
7. Strawberry Sauce
8. 16 oz frozen strawberries, thawed in their package
9. 1/3 cup granulated sugar
10. 1/3 cup water
11. Crepes
12. 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sifted all-purpose flour
13. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
14. 1/4 tsp salt
15. 1-1/2 cups milk (plus more if needed)
16. 3 large eggs
17. 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (divided)

Instructions

1. Make Cheese Filling: Line a colander with 2 layers of dampened cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Place cottage cheese on the cheesecloth, cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy object (I use a small bowl filled with water) on top of the cheese. Allow to sit for 3 hours to drain. (You must drain off as much liquid as possible to get the correct consistency.)
2. Place sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and drained cottage cheese into a blender. Mix well until smooth and creamy.
3. Make Strawberry Sauce: Using your hands, crush the thawed strawberries while still in the package.
4. In a small saucepan, combine crushed strawberries, sugar and water. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Reheat sauce before serving.
5. Make Crepes: Prepare a workspace by covering a kitchen counter with waxed paper. You will turn out the cooked crepes onto this area.
6. Into a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Gradually whisk in the 1-1/2 cups milk, eggs and 1 tbsp of the melted butter and mix until smooth.
7. Heat a crepe pan or a 6-inch skillet, over medium-high heat. Brush the pan lightly with some of the melted butter. Working quickly, pour slightly less than 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, swirling in a clockwise motion so that the bottom of the pan is just covered.
8. Cook crepe for approximately 2 minutes, running a thin spatula around the edges to loosen the crepe as it begins to brown.
9. Gently loosen the crepe from the pan and carefully flip over to brown second side for no more than 10 to 20 seconds on the other side. Flip crepe out onto the prepared waxed paper-covered counter or ease it out with a spatula.
10. Repeat with remaining batter, stirring it occasionally and adding milk if necessary to thin. Butter pan and adjust heat as needed between crepes.
11. Once you get into the “zone” this process can move rather quickly, so be sure not to move away from the pan; these are not things you can just leave to cook on their own - they need your attention. The first few may not turn out too well. That’s OK, I usually eat those. Someone has to taste test!
12. Make Ahead: Crepes can be made up to 3 days ahead. Stack them separated by sheets of waxed paper and store in a resealable plastic bag.
13. To Assemble: Place a crepe on a plate and put 2 tsp of filling onto the center of the crepe. Fold the bottom of the crepe up over the filling. Fold in each of the sides and then fold the top down to make a square.
14. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.
15. To Serve: Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and brush with melted butter. Gently place filled blintzes in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with strawberry sauce and/or sour cream.

Notes

1. The cottage cheese will need to drain for 3 hours so allow for that extra time in preparation. All components can be made ahead. Assemble just before serving.

Adapted from Bon Appetit Favorites - Classic Recipes

Adapted from Bon Appetit Favorites - Classic Recipes

The Heritage Cook ® https://theheritagecook.com/

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