Cheese Blintzes With Caramelized Apples Food

CARAMELIZED ONION, APPLE AND GOAT CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Let's start with the blintz batter. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. In a seaprate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and 1 tablespoon melted and cooled butter. Mix the dry into the wet until no lumps remain. Let batter rest in refrigerator at least 1 hour to let gluten relax.
• While batter is chilling, make filling. Heat a wide, thick-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat and add oil to heat. Add onions with a little salt (about ¼ tsp). As soon as onions start to brown, reduce to medium-low. Keep cooking for up to 40 minutes or an hour until the onions are very caramelized, stirring often. If they start to burn a little, add a little water.
• Once the onions are nearly ready, add 1 tablespoon butter and apples and saute for 10 minutes until apples and soft but not mushy. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add in fresh thyme and honey and stir to combine.
• To make blintzes, butter a 9-inch nonstick pan with a thin coat of butter over medium high heat. Then pour ¼ 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! No need to flip. Slide blintzes onto parchment paper to allow to cool. Do not layer blintzes together when they are hot or they will stick. If you find your batter is a little thick to swirl, add a touch more milk.
• Spread heaping tablespoon of onion apple mixture towards bottom of each blintz and top with a dollop (about 2 teaspoons) of goat cheese. 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.
• Top blintzes with extra filling, walnuts, pomegranate arils and a drizzle of honey. Eat!
• You can make the pancakes and filling ahead of time up to two days before serving.

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.

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.

MAKE-AHEAD BLINTZ CASSEROLE

Steps:

• For filling, place first 6 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl., Place batter ingredients in food processor; process until smooth. Pour half of the batter into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Drop tablespoons of filling over batter; cover with remaining batter. Refrigerate, several hours or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add apples and lemon juice. Cook and stir 5-7 minutes or until apples are tender. Add brown sugar and salt; cook 1 minute longer or until thickened. Stir in extract; cool slightly. Serve with casserole.

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.

RICOTTA MASCARPONE BLINTZES WITH RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Mix together the ricotta, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest and a small pinch of salt.
• With the cooked side in, place the "tail" of the crepe toward you and spoon about 2 ounces of the 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 the "tail" 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.
• 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. To warm the ingredients in the blintz, lower the flame and cook slowly, about 2 to 5 minutes to avoid burning the crepe.
• 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. Ladle the warm fruit over the blintz and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with a fresh strawberry half.

CARAMELIZED APPLES

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add the apples to the pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Sauté the apples, stirring frequently, for 6-8 minutes, until they just start to turn tender.
• Sprinkle the apples with the remaining sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest.
• Toss the mixture gently and cook over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes, until the sugar begins to caramelize and the apples are crisp-tender.
• Transfer the apples from the skillet to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Turn the heat to high and add the apple cider to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits.
• Reduce the heat slightly and allow the cider and the pan juices to simmer for 1-3 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
• If you desire a thicker sauce, dissolve the cornstarch in a teaspoon of water, stir it into the sauce, and allow it to thicken for a moment.
• Pour the finished sauce over the warm apples and serve immediately.