The Cheese Lover's Cookbook & Guide by Paula Lambert & Richard Oriolo

Author:Paula Lambert & Richard Oriolo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2000-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Cottage Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Preserves

Blintzes are Eastern European pancakes that are usually filled with fruit and cheese. Pastries made with fresh white cheese are among my favorites because usually they are not as sweet and sugary as others. The common characteristic of cheeses used for pastries such as these is that they are always of a nonmelting variety. They just get soft when heated and do not melt and ooze. Pot cheese, queso blanco, cottage cheese, ricotta, and farmer cheese are all similar in this regard.

The ricotta in these blintzes makes them puff up when they bake.

MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS SAUCE

MAKES 12 BLINTZES

SERVES 4

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 pint strawberries (2 cups), washed, hulled, and quartered

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons sugar

BLINTZES

8 ounces (1 cup) full-fat, small-curd cottage cheese, homemade (page 72) or store-bought

4 ounces ricotta, homemade (page 70) or store-bought, well drained (½ cup)

2 tablespoons sugar

1 large egg yolk

12 Crepes (page 82)

¼ cup strawberry preserves

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

FOR THE Strawberry Sauce, place the strawberries in a bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and sugar, and mix gently. Set aside at room temperature to macerate for at least 30 minutes.

TRANSFFR HALF the strawberries and their juice to a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and puree. Add the remaining strawberries and pulse several times to crush them into a chunky sauce. Cover and set aside.

FOR THE Blintzes, put the cottage cheese in a strainer set over a bowl and allow the excess liquid to drain away.

BLEND THE cottage cheese, ricotta, and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade until smooth. Be careful not to overprocess, or the filling will be too runny. Add the egg yolk and process for 10 seconds. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.

PREHEAT THE oven to 325°F. Butter a nonstick baking pan, about 15 × 10 inches, and set aside.

LAY 1 crepe on a work surface and spread a thin layer of the strawberry preserves over the bottom third of the crepe. Mound 1 heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture on the preserves. Fold the sides of the crepe over the cheese mixture and then fold over the top and bottom to enclose the filling and form a square package. Place smooth side up in the baking pan and repeat with the remaining crepes, preserves, and cheese mixture. Brush the tops of the blintzes with the melted butter. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the blinzes have puffed up.

TO SERVE, place 3 blintzes on each heated serving plate. Lightly dust with the confectioners’ sugar, using a sieve. Spoon some of the sauce over part of the blintzes and make a pool of the sauce to the side. Garnish with mint leaves and serve warm.

—Nursery rhyme

Little Miss Muffett

Sat on her tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey.

Along came a spider

And sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffett

away.

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