Blueberry Blintzes

Classic Blueberry Blintzes with a rich cheesy filling!

Ahhhh blueberry blintzes. So tasty. Must not lick screen. What’s a blintz you ask? Basically a Jewish crepe, traditionally filled with fruit or cheese. This delightful variety has both. You’re welcome. A cream cheesy filled blintz topped in a sweet blueberry sauce and doused in powdered sugar. But blueberries = fruit = healthy. Right?

Blintzes are one of those classic dishes my Bubbe would make growing up by the truckload. As if she were feeding everyone on the street, which she would happily do, not just my lucky brother and I. She would spread crepes all over the house, strategically placed on tea towels and careful that they did not stick to each other, fill them, roll them, and fry them. Oh boy.

A few weeks ago I had some horrible bug thing where I basically ate toast for four days. All foods sounded repulsive, and even worse, so did booze. Would I ever be the same again?? I especially was turned off by dairy, including my beloved cheese. It was a dark, dark time, folks. Luckily, I pulled through! And to celebrate, Blueberry Blintzes for all!

These days, I like to get creative with my fillings. I’ve done coffee, I’ve done Brie and apple, I’ve even done zucchini and goat cheese. But sometimes, nothing beats the classics.

What Are Blintzes?

A blintz is a thin egg crepe wrapped around a sweet cheese filling and then pan fried in butter until golden. They are Ashkenazi Jewish comfort food, descended from the Eastern European blin, and they turn up at brunch, at Hanukkah, and above all at Shavuot.

This version fills them with a mix of cream cheese, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt brightened with lemon zest, then spoons a quick blueberry compote over the top.

Blintz vs Crepe vs Pancake

A crepe is the wrapper. A blintz is the finished dish: crepe plus filling plus a second trip through the pan in butter, which is what gives it those crisp golden edges. That second fry is the whole difference.

Pancakes are a different animal altogether, leavened and thick. A blintz batter has no leavening at all, which is why it spreads thin and cooks in about a minute a side.

Why Blintzes for Shavuot?

Shavuot is the dairy holiday, when tradition calls for eating milk and cheese foods, and blintzes are one of the great expressions of that. Cheesecake gets the attention, but a plate of cheese blintzes is the older, homier answer.

If you are feeding a crowd, my cheese blintzes casserole gives you the same flavors without rolling a single one.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• For the crepes: flour, sugar, salt, eggs, whole milk and melted butter. Whole milk matters for tenderness.
• Cream cheese and cottage cheese. The classic blintz filling combination, with cottage cheese providing the traditional slight curd texture.
• Greek yogurt. A quarter cup, for tang and to loosen the filling.
• Powdered sugar and lemon zest. Sweetens the filling and keeps it from tasting heavy.
• Blueberries. Two cups, fresh or frozen and thawed, for the compote.
• Lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch. The compote, thickened just enough to spoon rather than run.

How to Make Blueberry Blintzes

1. Make the batter. Combine flour, sugar and salt, then whisk in eggs, milk and melted butter until no lumps remain. Rest it in the fridge for at least an hour so the gluten relaxes.
2. Mix the filling. Whisk together cream cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar and lemon zest.
3. Make the compote. Simmer blueberries, lemon juice, zest and sugar for 5 to 7 minutes, then thicken with cornstarch slurried in water.
4. Cook the crepes. Butter a 9 inch nonstick pan over medium high heat, pour in 1/4 cup batter and swirl to coat. Cook until set, then slide onto parchment.
5. Fill and fold. Spoon filling onto each crepe, fold in the sides and roll up like a little envelope.
6. Fry to finish. Add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and cook the blintzes 1 to 2 minutes per side until golden. Top with compote and powdered sugar.

Tips for the Best Blintzes

• Do not skip the batter rest. An hour in the fridge is what gives you tender crepes instead of rubbery ones.
• Use a nonstick pan and keep it buttered. A thin film before each crepe, wiped with a paper towel.
• The first crepe is a sacrifice. It always is. Eat it and move on.
• Stack with parchment. Between each cooked crepe, or they weld together.
• Do not overfill. A couple of tablespoons. Overfilled blintzes burst in the second fry.
• Seam side down first. Frying the seam first seals it shut.

Make Ahead and Freezing

Blintzes are made for making ahead. Assemble them completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then fry just before serving. The crepes can be cooked and stacked with parchment up to 2 days ahead on their own.

To freeze, arrange assembled unfried blintzes on a tray until firm, then bag them for up to 3 months. Fry straight from frozen over slightly lower heat so the filling warms through. The compote keeps a week in the fridge and also freezes well.

Blueberry Blintz FAQ

What is the difference between a blintz and a crepe?

A crepe is just the thin pancake. A blintz is a crepe that has been filled, folded and then fried again in butter, which crisps the outside. Blintz batter is also typically a little richer and always unleavened.

What cheese is traditional in blintzes?

Farmer cheese is the most traditional, a dry pressed curd cheese. It can be hard to find, so cream cheese plus cottage cheese is the standard substitute and gives you a very similar texture with better availability.

Can I use frozen blueberries?

Yes. Thaw and drain them first so the extra liquid does not thin your compote. Frozen berries actually break down nicely and make a slightly jammier sauce.

Why do I need to rest the batter?

Resting lets the gluten relax and the flour fully hydrate. Skip it and the crepes tend to be tough and prone to tearing. An hour is the minimum; overnight is even better.

Can I make blintzes ahead of time?

This is one of the best make ahead brunch dishes there is. Assemble a day or two in advance, refrigerate, and do the final butter fry right before serving so they hit the table hot and crisp.

Are blintzes served hot or cold?

Hot, straight from the pan, with cold compote and a dusting of powdered sugar over the top. The temperature contrast is half the pleasure.

Are blintzes Jewish or Russian?

Both, in the way most Ashkenazi food is. They descend from the Eastern European blin and were carried into Jewish cooking across Russia, Poland and Ukraine, then became a fixture of American Jewish delis and dairy restaurants.

More dairy for the table: homemade cream cheese, flavored cream cheese, or a cheese blintzes casserole when you are feeding a crowd.

Blueberry Blintzes

Classic Blueberry Blintzes with a rich cheesy filling!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 8 blintzes

Ingredients

  

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Blintz Batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter melted and cooled, plus more for frying blinztes

Filling

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ½ cup powdered sugar plus more for garnish 
• Zest from 1 lemon

Blueberry Compote

• 2 cups blueberries fresh or frozen thawed, washed and dried
• ¼ cup lemon juice from 1 lemon
• Zest from 1 lemon
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

 

• Start with blintz batter. Combine flour, sugar and salt. Add eggs, milk and butter and whisk until no lumps remain. Let batter rest in refrigerator at least 1 hour to let gluten relax.
• While batter is chilling, make filling by whisking together cream cheese, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar and lemon zest.
• Prepare blueberry compote. Combine blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes until mixture starts to thicken. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water. Pour into blueberry mixture and keep simmering, stirring often, until thick.
• Assembly: Set aside a few sheets of parchment paper. To make blintzes, butter a 9-inch nonstick pan with a thin coat of butter over medium high heat. Then pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan to coat bottom. Swirl pan to coat evenly. After about a minute you will see the ends begin to curl up- your blintz is done! Do not flip. Slide blintzes onto parchment paper to allow to cool. Do not layer blintzes together or they will stick. Spread spoonful of cheese mixture towards bottom of each blintz. Fold bottom of blintz up to cover filling and then fold the sides in. Roll like a burrito.
• Add 1-tablespoon butter back to medium nonstick pan over medium high heat and cook on each side until golden brown- or about 1-2 minutes per side. Drizzle blueberry compote over blintzes and sprinkle with fresh blueberries if desired and powdered sugar for garnish.

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I created this recipe for Imperial Sugar, but as usual all opinions are my own.