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2nd Avenue Deli Blintzes
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| CREPES | |
| 2 cups | flour |
| 1/8 teaspoon | salt |
| 4 | eggs, beaten |
| 1 1/2 cups | milk |
| 2 tablespoons | melted butter |
| 1 tablespoon | butter for frying crepes |
| Corn oil for frying 1. Prepare filling (see details below), and refrigerate until ready to use. If you want to make more than one kind, simply reduce recipe amounts. It takes about 4 1/2 cups of stuffing to fill 10 or 11 blintzes. Plan accordingly. 2. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Gradually add eggs and milk, beating with a wire whisk until perfectly smooth. Stir in melted butter. For best results, after whisking ingredients, mix batter in a blender until silky smooth. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 3. Set out a dinner-size plate on your counter, and keep the batter bowl right by the stove. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in an 8- or 9-inch omelet pan. Keeping your heat medium-high, use a ladle to spoon batter into the pan. Tilt the pan so that batter covers evenly, creating a thin layer, and immediately pour all excess back into the batter bowl. When the crepe is lightly browned on one side, loosen it around the edges with a fork and flip it, browned side up, onto the plate. Continue frying crepes and piling them on the plate. Do not add extra butter to the pan. (The first wrapper, which absorbs too much butter, is not usable. Toss it. There’s even a Russian proverb: “The first pancake is always a flop,” which means the same as our “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”) 4. To fill crepes, place them, one at a time, on a plate, browned side up. Place a large dollop of filling (about a heaping lA cup, a little less if you’re using fruit) about 1 inch from the “top” of the circle, leaving a margin of about 1 Vz inches on either side. Roll the top of the crepe over the filling. Fold in side flaps, and continue to roll, top to bottom. 5. In a large skillet, heat about Vz inch corn oil on a high setting. Reduce heat to moderate, and fry the blintzes until brown and crispy (no more than 2 Vz minutes on each side). Serve with applesauce or, if you’re preparing as a dairy dish, sour cream. You might also want to sprinkle a little confectioners’ sugar on fruit or cheese blintzes. (You’ll need 2 skillets to contain all the blintzes in one batch.) POTATO FILLING | |
| 2 tablespoons | corn oil or schmaltz |
| 2 cups | onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces |
| 2 teaspoons | very finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic |
| 4 cups | mashed potatoes |
| 1 | egg, beaten |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt |
| 14 teaspoon | pepper |
| 1. Heat corn oil or schmaltz in a large skillet, and saute onions until brown. At the last minute, add the garlic, and saute until brown. 2. Place the onions and garlic in a large bowl with the mashed potatoes, egg, salt, and pepper, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed. Variation: For a meat and potato filling, use only 3 cups of mashed potatoes and add a cup of finely minced brisket, pastrami, or corned beef. KASHA FILLING | |
| 2 tablespoons | corn oil or schmaltz |
| 2 cups | onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces |
| 4 cups | cooked kasha |
| 2 | eggs, beaten |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt |
| 1/4 teaspoon | pepper |
| 1. Heat corn oil or schmaltz in a large skillet, and saute onions until brown. 2. Place the onions in a large bowl with the kasha, eggs, salt, and pepper, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed. CHEESE FILLING | |
| 2 pounds | farmer cheese |
| 1/2 pound | whipped cream cheese |
| 1 | egg, beaten |
| 3/8 cup | sugar |
| 1/8 teaspoon | cinnamon |
| 1/8 teaspoon | salt |
| 1. Blend all ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, and refrigerate until needed. Note: In the Deli we make a delicious nondairy cheese filling by substituting Tofutti cream cheese for both the farmer cheese and the whipped cream cheese. We also add 3 tablespoons of matzo meal, Vz teaspoon cornstarch, and Vz teaspoon each of lemon and orange zest. The ingredients should be blended with an electric mixer. SPINACH AND CHEESE FILLING | |
| 2 tablespoons | corn oil |
| 2 cups | onion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces |
| 2 cups | cooked spinach |
| 1 pound | farmer cheese |
| 1 pound | whipped cream cheese |
| 1 | egg, beaten |
| 1/2 teaspoon | salt |
| 1/4 teaspoon | pepper |
| 1. Heat corn oil in a large skillet, and saute onions until brown. Place in a large bowl. 2. Chop the cooked spinach very fine (it’s best to pulse it a few times in a food processor). Add to bowl with onions. 3. Add all remaining ingredients, and combine thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed. APPLE OR PEACH FILLING | |
| Unsalted butter | |
| 5 cups apples or peaches, peeled, cored or pitted, and cut into 3/4 inch slices, 1/4 inch thick (choose somewhat hard, slightly unripe peaches) | |
| 1 cup | raisins |
| 1 cup | sugar, (adjust amount of sugar, depending on how sweet your fruits are; filling should be quite sweet) |
| 1 1/2 teaspoons | cinnamon |
| Whipped cream cheese, (optional) | |
| 1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in your largest skillet, and, on high heat, saute apple or peach slices until lightly browned on both sides. Do this in batches, so that you’re browning only one layer of fruit slices at a time (don’t pile them up); use 1/2 teaspoon extra butter for each batch. Don’t overdo it. You want the fruit slices to keep their integrity, not turn into mush. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl, and set aside. Add another Yz teaspoon butter to the pan, and quickly saute the raisins. Add to bowl with apples or peaches. 2. Add sugar (use more or less than a cup, depending on the sweetness of your fruit) and cinnamon, and mix in well. Refrigerate until needed. When you stuff the crepes, you can add a dollop of whipped cream cheese along with the fruit if you wish. BLUEBERRY FILLING | |
| Unsalted butter | |
| 5 cups | fresh blueberries |
| 1 cup | sugar, (adjust amount of sugar, depending on how sweet your fruits are; filling should be quite sweet) |
| Whipped cream cheese, (optional) | |
1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in your largest skillet, and, on high heat, stirring frequently, saute blueberries very quickly—just until they turn dark and some juice comes out. Strain berries over a bowl, reserving liquid in a small saucepan.
2. Place berries in a large bowl, add sugar (use more or less than a cup, depending on the sweetness of your berries), and mix in. Refrigerate until needed. When you stuff the crepes, you can add a dollop of whipped cream cheese along with the fruit if you wish. Also taste blueberry filling before stuffing; you may want to add a bit more sugar.
Note: The blueberry juice makes a delicious syrup. Mix 1 Vi teaspoons cornstarch with the same amount of water in a small bowl, until completely smooth. Bring juice to a boil, add cornstarch mixture, and heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Drizzle this blueberry sauce over cheese blintzes or use it to enhance pancakes, vanilla ice cream, or French toast.
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