Best Cheese Blintzes Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Place 3 eggs, flour, milk, water, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, 1 or 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Let batter sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Whisk together ricotta cheese, cream cheese, lemon zest, egg, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.
• Heat a 10-inch, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray or brush lightly with vegetable oil. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter. Immediately swirl batter around to coat bottom of pan. Cook until surface looks dry, about 1 minute. Flip crepe over to briefly cook other side, about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of batter. Stack crepes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly butter a baking dish.
• Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling onto the crepe, about an inch from edge nearest you. Fold edge over filling and flatten slightly. Fold in both sides, then roll up crepe into a small filled rectangle, ending with the seam on the bottom, creating a blintz.
• Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Cook the blintzes until golden brown on both sides, turning gently, about 2 minutes. Transfer to buttered baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven to firm up the filling, about 12 minutes. Cool blintzes 10 minutes before serving. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

TRADITIONAL CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Beat eggs in a bowl. Add milk, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat in flour using an electric mixer until well blended. Let batter stand for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cottage cheese, sugar, sour cream, egg yolk, and cinnamon together in a bowl to make the filling.
• Melt butter in a 6- to 7-inch skillet. Spoon a portion of the batter onto the skillet; cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel. Repeat with the remaining batter, thinning with small amounts of water if necessary and greasing the pan after every 2 to 3 blintzes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Melt the remaining butter in the skillet over low heat, about 1 minute.
• Place a blintz on a clean work surface with the uncooked side up. Add 1 tablespoon filling and roll up, completely covering the filling. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining blintzes. Brush filled blintzes with melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• For the crepe: Beat milk, eggs and 1 cup water in a bowl. Add flour and powdered sugar to make a thin batter.
• Pour 1/4 cup batter on a well-buttered medium hot 10-inch fry pan, spreading it as thin as possible. Fry until light brown, then flip and brown other side until light brown. Turn out on wax paper. Repeat with remaining batter.
• For the cheese filling: Mix ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Spread evenly over the surface of a crepe. Tuck in ends and roll up. Cook in butter in a fry pan until brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.
• Serve with sour cream and fruit preserves.

CHERRY CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the milk, eggs and butter. Combine flour and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet; pour 2 tablespoons batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between. Wrap in foil; refrigerate., In a blender, process cottage cheese until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; add cream cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Spread about 1 rounded tablespoonful onto each crepe. Fold opposite sides of crepe over filling, forming a little bundle. , Place seam side down in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10 minutes or until heated through., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring cherries, 2/3 cup water and sugar to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Combine cornstarch and remaining water until smooth; stir into cherry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with crepes.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make crêpes
• In blender, combine milk and eggs. Add flour and salt and blend at low speed until smooth, less than 1 minute. Let batter stand 1/2 hour.
• Have ready large plate or platter. Place skillet over moderately high heat, brush lightly with some melted butter, and heat until butter just begins to smoke. Pour 1/4 to 1/3 cup batter into pan, tilting to spread into thin, even layer. Cook until crêpe begins to "blister," edges curl slightly away from skillet, and underside is lightly browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Use flexible spatula to flip crêpe out of skillet and onto plate, cooked side up.
• Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet lightly with melted butter before cooking each crêpe. Stack crêpes, cooked side down, on plate and let cool.
• Make filling
• In large bowl, mash together farmer and cottage cheeses until blended. Add egg yolk, melted butter, sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
• Place 1 crêpe, cooked side up, on a plate. Place 2 tablespoons filling in center, and fold up bottom to cover filling. Fold down top, then flip over and fold in sides. Flip over again and place on a large plate. Repeat with remaining crêpes and filling. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill until ready to fry.)
• Make sauce
• In large saucepan, combine 3 cups blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch. Set over moderately low heat and stir gently until sugar dissolves. Raise heat to moderately high and boil, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and gently stir in remaining blueberries.
• Fry blintzes
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in iron skillet over moderately high heat. Add 3 blintzes and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining blintzes. Serve hot with sauce.

COTTAGE CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a bowl; gradually add in the flour, whisking to remove all lumps.
• Brush a small skillet with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter per crepe into the heated skillet, and tilt the pan to completely cover the surface with batter. Crepes should be about 5 inches in diameter. Cook the crepes until golden on the bottom, and set but not wet on top, 1 to 2 minutes per crepe. Don't flip the crepes. Set the cooked crepes aside.
• Mix the cottage cheese, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl until very well combined. To fill, place a crepe in front of you on a work surface with the cooked side up, and place about 1/4 cup of cheese filling in the center of the crepe. Fold the right and left edges of the crepe over the filling, and roll the crepe over to seal the filling in, making a compact little roll filled with cheese. Set the blintzes aside.
• Heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, and place the filled blintzes into the hot skillet. Pan-fry the blintzes until golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Eat hot or cold.

CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Filling:.
• Mix all ingredients.
• Beat well until smooth.
• Refrigerate.
• Blintzes:.
• Beat eggs, oil and milk well.
• Add flour and salt beat well.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• For each blintz, melt 1 teaspoon butter in a 7" skillet.
• Pour in 1-1/2 teaspoons batter, spread batter completely over bottom of pan.
• Cover over medium heat until lightly browned on one side.
• Turn crepe over and brown the other side.
• Remove.
• Put 1 Tablespoon cheese on browned surface of each blintz.
• Fold and roll.
• Put in a glass baking dish and keep warm in oven.
• If necessary they could be frozen and when needed thaw and warm and then serve with a dollop of sour cream or a nice fruity syrup.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH BLUEBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make sauce: Wash and crush berries.
• Mix in sugar thru salt and 1¼ cups water and put in saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Chill.
• Make blintzes: Combine flour and salt, add 1 cup water and mix until smooth.
• Add 4 eggs and beat well.
• Add milk and mix to a thin batter.
• Heat a small amount of shortening in a 6" skillet.
• Pour in ¼ cup batter and cook slowly until pancake is lightly browned on bottom and set on top.
• Turn out with browned side up.
• Repeat, making about 18 pancakes.
• Using a hand mixer, blend cheese through vanilla with remaining egg.
• Put a spoonful of cheese mixture in center of each pancake, fold in ends and roll up.
• Brown in a small amount of hot shortening.
• Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream with cold blueberry sauce over the top.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB COMPOTE

Steps:

• BLINTZES: Using a blender, mix the eggs, milk and flour at low speed. Add the Grand Marnier. Once the batter is well mixed and coats the spoon with a thin film, refrigerate, covered for 1 hour in a pitcher or bowl.
• Stir the batter thoroughly and before making the crepes, test the liquid by dunking a spoon in the mixture; again, it should coat the spoon with a thin film. Adjust by adding milk if necessary.
• Using a 8-10" nonstick pan, spray with oil, and heat the pan over medium-high heat. Pour about one cup of batter to coat one pan. Once covered, pour a thin layer of batter into the heated pan, swirling to coat if necessary.
• When the crepes pull away from the edge of the pan in about 20 seconds, remove from the heat, tap them lightly or run a knife across the edge of the pan to release, and invert the crepes on a dry towel to cool. Stir the batter at brief intervals to re-suspend the ingredients.
• FILLING: Mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and a small pinch of salt.
• ASSEMBLY: With the cooked side up, spoon about 1/4 cup filling inside the center of the wrapper.
• Fold and hold the two opposite sides of the crepe over the filling until they almost meet and then fold over the ingredients pulling the stuffing toward you.
• Fold the crepe over until you form a seam on the blintz. Set finished 2-inch by 1 1/2-inch flat "eggroll" shaped blintz on a dry towel with the seam side down.
• COOK: Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium high heat, beginning with the seam side down. Saute each blintz until golden brown, carefully so the cheese does not escape.
• Flip the blintz onto the other side. Lower the flame and cook slowly, about 2 to 5 minutes to avoid burning the crepe.
• TOPPING: Gently toss the rhubarb, strawberries, flour, sugar and lemon and let stand until moist, 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a large saucepan, melt the butter and add the fruit mixture. Cook the fruit for approximately 35 minutes, stirring to make sure the fruit does not brown. Cover 5 minutes or until rhubarb is soft.
• TO SERVE: Ladle the warm fruit over the blintz and top with a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with a fresh strawberry half.

BLUEBERRY-LEMON CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• For the blintzes: Add all the ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until evenly combined, about 30 strokes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Rub the pan with a paper towel dipped in oil. To check that the pan is properly heated, sprinkle the pan with a few drops of water and the water will "dance" around before evaporating.
• Add 1/4 cup batter, tilting the pan to evenly cover or spread out in a circle using the back of a spoon. Cook until just set and browned, about 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until second side is lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and repeat with remaining batter. (Can be made up to 1 month ahead. Stack crepes and store covered in the freezer.)
• For the filling: Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead.)
• For the berries: Combine sugar, water, and 1/2 cup of the berries in a small pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the berries break down, sugar is dissolved, and mixture has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining berries to a small bowl and pour in the syrup. Stir in the lemon juice and let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead.) Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• To assemble: Heat the oven to 375 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the filling down the center of each crepe. Fold the crepe over the filling, fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito. Put on a baking sheet and repeat until all the crepes have been filled. Bake until warmed through, (the internal temperature should register 160 to 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) and filling is soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the berries.

CHEESE AND LEMON BLINTZES

Steps:

• Mix flour, eggs, and salt together in a bowl until smooth and creamy.
• Lightly coat a small skillet with cooking spray. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the skillet. Swirl around until even and then place skillet over medium heat. Cook until sides begin to curl away, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook other side until lightly browned, about 1 minute more. Put onto a plate.
• Mix cream cheese, raisins, sugar, egg yolks, lemon peel, vanilla extract, and cinnamon together in a bowl to make the filling. Place 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling on each blintz and roll up like a small burrito.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the filled blintzes, turning carefully, until lightly browned, about 30 seconds each.

CHEESE BLINTZES II

Steps:

• Place the milk, whole eggs, salt, and flour into a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling by beating together the cottage cheese, egg yolk, melted butter, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Melt some of the 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter and tilt the pan to completely coat with the batter. Cook until golden on the bottom, and no longer wet on the top, about 2 minutes per crepe. Repeat with remaining batter.
• Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the filling near one edge of a crepe. Fold this side up towards the center, then fold the sides in. Fold the top over the filling, and place seam-side-down onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.
• Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and continue baking until lightly golden, about 5 minutes more.

FRUIT-TOPPED CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Whisk eggs and milk. In another bowl, mix flour and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour., In a bowl, toss peaches and cherries with sugar. Let stand while preparing blintzes., Heat a lightly greased 6-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir batter. Fill a 1/4-cup measure halfway with batter; pour into center of pan. Quickly lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn blintz over and cook 15-20 seconds longer or until bottom is cooked. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing pan as needed. Meanwhile, in a bowl, beat cottage, cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until almost smooth. Spoon about 2 tablespoons filling onto each crepe. Fold opposite sides of crepe over filling, forming a rectangular bundle., On a greased griddle, cook blintzes 3 minutes, seam side down. Turn; cook until golden brown, 3-5 minutes longer. Top with fruit and, if desired, sour cream.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB COMPOTE

Steps:

• Make crepes:
• Stir flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, butter and vanilla in medium bowl to blend. Add to dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
• Spray with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium-low heat. Pour 2 tablespoons crepe batter into pan and swirl pan to coat bottom thinly. Cook until edge of crepe is light brown, about 1 minute. Loosen edges of crepe gently with spatula. Carefully turn crepe over. Cook until beginning to brown in spots, about 30 seconds. Transfer crepe to plate. Place paper towel atop crepe. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying pan with vegetable oil spray as needed and covering each crepe with paper towel, forming total of 16 crepes.
• For filling:
• Mix farmer cheese and cream cheese in large bowl to blend. Stir in sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract and ground cardamom.
• Place 1 crepe on work surface. Place 2 tablespoons filling 3-inch-long log just below center. Fold bottom of crepe over filling. fold sides in. Roll crepe up, enclosing filling completely. Transfer blintz to plastic-lined dish. Repeat with remaining filling and crepes.(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill overnight)
• For compote:
• Simmer orange juice and honey in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add rhubarb and stir until just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in vanilla extract and ground cardamom. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Keep chilled.) Stir in strawberries.
• Preheat oven to 200°F. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place 5 blintzes, seam side down, in skillet. Cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer blintzes to baking sheet; keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 11 blintzes in 2 more batches. Place blintzes on plates. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

BEAUTY'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Prepare batter. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and vanilla and blend well. Gradually add flour. Beat well until there are no lumps in the batter.
• Make the filling. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth.
• Grease a 6- or 7-inch skillet until it is hot but not smoking.
• Put a ladleful of batter into the skillet. Tilt pan to swirl the batter so it covers the bottom of the skillet.
• Fry on one side until bubbles form and the top is set. The bottom should be golden brown. Carefully loosen edges of the crepe and slip it out of the skillet onto a plate.
• Repeat the above procedure until all the batter is used. Grease skillet each time before pouring batter.
• After all the crepes are made, begin filling them. The brown side should be facing up. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on one edge.
• Roll once to cover filling. Fold the sides into the center and continue rolling until completely closed.
• After all the blintzes are assembled, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and place each crepe, seam side down, in the skillet and fry 2 minutes on each side, turning once.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and garnish with fresh strawberries and a touch of powdered sugar.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH CARAMELIZED APPLES

Steps:

• Place 3/4 cup water, 2 eggs, vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon salt in blender. Add flour and blend thoroughly until smooth. Let batter stand 1 hour.
• Place hoop cheese in processor. If using cottage cheese, place in center of kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess moisture until cheese is very dry and measures 1 1/2 cups packed; transfer to processor. Add 1 egg, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Using on/off turns, blend until mixture is almost smooth. Transfer filling to bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
• Heat heavy small skillet with 6-inch-diameter bottom over medium-high heat. Brush lightly with some melted butter. Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons batter into skillet, tilting to spread evenly. Cook until crepe is lightly browned on bottom, about 30 seconds. Turn crepe out onto paper towel and cover with another paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with more melted butter as needed.
• Place 1 crepe on work surface. Place 3 tablespoons filling just below center of cooked side of crepe. Fold bottom over filling, then fold sides in; roll to enclose filling. Transfer to foil-lined plate. Repeat with remaining filling and 7 more crepes (reserve remaining crepes for another use).
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil and any re-maining melted butter in heavy large skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Place blintzes, seam side down, in skillet. Cook until bottoms are brown and crisp, shaking pan occasionally, about 6 minutes. Turn blintzes over; cook until bottoms are brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer 2 blintzes to each of 4 plates. Top with Caramelized Apples and serve.

GRANDMA'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Prepare cheese filling by mixing cheese in mixer until smooth. One at a time, add cream cheese, egg yolks, butter, sugar and salt. Beat well and set aside.
• Beat eggs in a blender, then add milk and blend. Remove blender lid and stir in flour and salt slowly until batter is smooth.
• Heat 6 inch skillet on stove. Once hot, lightly brush with melted butter.
• Pour only enough batter to make a very thin pancake into the frying pan, tipping it from side to side until the batter covers the bottom. Pour off excess batter back into blender as soon as the batter begins to set (pancakes should be as thin as possible while still covering the bottom of the pan).
• Fry one side until the edges begin to pull away from the pan and are slightly browned. Turn pan over and drop crepe onto dishcloth.
• Brush pan with butter before each crepe and repeat until the crepe batter is gone.
• IMPORTANT: Do not place crepes on top of each other until they are completely cooled. You will want plenty of counter space to spread out the cooling crepes as you continue making additional crepes.
• After crepes are finished, spread them out and place a rounded spoonful of filling in the center of each crepe.
• Fold both sides in and roll into an envelope shape. They should be slightly flattened rather than round.
• TIP: Crepes can be refrigerated or frozen at this point.
• Before serving: fry blintzes in butter in frying pan, turning to lightly brown on both sides. Place in one layer on cookie sheet or jellyroll pan and heat at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Do not overheat or cheese will get stringy.
• Serve with cinnamon/sugar, sour cream or jelly.

CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Crêpe Batter:.
• Sift the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and set aside. Combine the egg, milk, butter and vanilla extract in another bowl and stir until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until blended into a relatively smooth batter. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. (The batter may be prepared to this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.).
• Heat a crêpe pan or small skillet over medium heat. Brush the pan with melted butter. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into the crêpe pan, swirling and tilting the pan to coat the bottom. Cook (reducing the heat if necessary) until the first side is set and has a little color, about 2 minutes. Use a thin metal or heatproof rubber spatula to loosen the crêpe and turn it over. Cook on the other side until set and very lightly colored (the crêpe will not be as dark on the second side as on the first), 1 minute more. Stack the crêpes between layers of parchment or waxed paper as you cook.
• Cheese Filling:.
• Purée the cottage cheese and cream cheese in a blender until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla extract by hand. Keep refrigerated until you are ready to finish the crêpes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush a medium baking dish with melted butter.
• Spoon or pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cheese filling onto each crêpe. Fold each crêpe into quarters, or fold the sides in to the center, then roll each crêpe up. Place the crêpes seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter and bake until very hot, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately, 2 crêpes per serving, with fruit or compote.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH THREE-BERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Filling
• If using cottage cheese, place in center of kitchen towel, gather towel around cheese and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Measure 2 1/2 cups packed cottage cheese (reserve remainder for another use). Combine 1 1/4 pounds hoop cheese or 2 1/2 cups packed dry cottage cheese and sugar in processor; blend well. Add eggs and salt; process until almost smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Crepes
• Combine 1 1/2 cups water and eggs in blender. Add flour, sugar and salt. Blend on lowspeed until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of container. Pour batter into medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Brush very lightly with oil. Transfer 3 tablespoons batter to small cup. Working quickly, pour batter into center of skillet; tilt and shake skillet to spread batter into 7-inch round. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook crepe until bottom is speckled brown, about 45 seconds. Loosen sides of crepe with spatula and turn out onto paper towel, cooked side up. Cover with paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan occasionally with oil and layering crepes between paper towels.
• Place 1 crepe cooked side up on work surface. Place 1/4 cup filling in 3-inch-long log just below center. Fold bottom of crepe over filling. Fold sides in. Roll crepe up, enclosing filling completely. Transfer blintz to plastic-lined platter. Repeat with remaining filling and crepes. (Can be prepared ahead. Cover and chill overnight or freeze up to 1 month. Do not thaw frozen blintzes before cooking.)
• Compote
• Combine all berries, sugar and lemon peel in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature until berries defrost, sugar dissolves and juices form in bowl, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Strain berry mixture thoroughly, reserving juices. Place cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually add reserved juices to cornstarch, whisking until smooth. Whisk over high heat until syrup boils and is thick and clear, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cool 15 minutes. Mix berries into syrup. Adjust tartness with lemon juice. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Assembly
• Pour oil into 2 large nonstick skillets to depth of scant 1/8 inch; heat over medium-low heat until hot. Place blintzes seam down in skillets. Cook until bottoms are brown and crisp, shaking pans gently and moving blintzes occasionally to prevent sticking, about 6 minutes (for frozen blintzes, cover skillet for first 6 minutes). Using spatula, turn blintzes over; cook until blintzes are brown and crisp and blintzes feel firm when lightly pressed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined platter. Place 2 blintzes on each plate. Spoon compote over blintzes. Top with sour cream. Sprinkle with lemon peel.

UKRAINIAN CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix together cheese, eggs, 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and salt. Place baking soda in a small bowl and add vinegar; mixture will fizz. Add baking soda mixture to bowl with cheese mixture. Using a hand-held electric mixer, mix until firm and solid. Stir in raisins.
• Place remaining 1/2 cup flour in a small, shallow dish. Working in batches (about four at a time), scoop out cheese mixture using a tablespoon, and, using floured hands, form into a 2 1/4-inch ball. Roll ball in flour mixture and pat using your hands to form a patty shape and remove excess flour.
• Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add patties and cook until golden brown, turning once, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.