Week 2 of my personal challenge to work my way through the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. This challenge has been so much fun so far and entertaining during the COVID-19 crisis. There is nowhere to go so why not cook and bake more!
Sweet Potato and Cheese Blintzes. This recipe inspired me to look up the history of Blintzes. Blintzes are a Jewish food, traditional for Ashkenazi jews as a holiday dessert or meal. Blintzes require true mastery of the frying pan. The wrap (aka bletlack, Yiddish term for a pancake. Official translation means leaves) is tender and slightly thicker than crepes. The key and unique way to cook these is to cook on a very hot pan and are cooked on one side to create a pillowy soft texture. These are surprisingly very tasty and I would highly recommend them as a dessert or appetizer. The cranberry sauce is a perfect addition to these yummy wraps. In the future, I am would like to make different fillings that are more savory like spinach and cheese.
Unfortunately, I could not find farmers' cheese so I substituted it with ricotta cheese, any soft white cheese should work for a filling. Also, I cut the wrapper recipe in half when I made this.
Sweet Potato and Cheese Blintzes
Serving Size: 16 blintzes
Total Time: 1 hour
Source: Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.
Wrappers
1 1/2 cups milk
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling
2 cups farmer’s cheese or ricotta
4 medium sweet potatoes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
few fresh gratings of nutmeg
2 eggs (or only egg yolks for richer flavor)
Cranberry Sauce
2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar
Step 1: To make wrapper batter: Combine wrapper ingredients in a bowl and whisk by hand until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or up to two days.
Step 2: Prepare the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet for about 40 minutes or until soft. Let them cool in their skins. Once cooled, peel the sweet potatoes and mash them.
Step 3: Prepare the filling. Once the sweet potato is cooled, stir in the cheese, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside for assembly.
Step 4: To cook the wrappers. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, brush pan lightly with melted butter or oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet, just enough that it coats the bottom in an even layer when you swirl it around. Let cook, undisturbed, until the crêpe becomes a little golden underneath or at the edges about 2 minutes. Don't flip them and transfer the wrapper onto a paper towel plate, cooked side down. Continue with the remaining batter.
Step 4: Assemble the blintzes. Optional: Preheat oven to 200 degrees for keeping blintzes warm during the assembly process. On one of the wrappers add 1/4 cup (or 2-3 tablespoons) of filling to the center. Now, fold like a burrito. Fold the bottom part of the wrapper up and over it; fold the sides in over the bottom and filling, then fold the pancake up to form an egg roll-like shape filled pancake. You can eat these blintzes right away, or refrigerate them for up to 2 days or freeze them between layers of waxed paper for up to 2 months. To serve immediately, heat a pan with butter over medium heat in a skillet. Fry blintz until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes on both sides. Keep warm in the oven or serve.
Step 5: For cranberry sauce. In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the cranberries, orange juice, and sugar for 7-10 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain syrup in a bowl. Transfer to a place and serve with sour cream or a fruit sauce or jam or your choice.
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