Bob's Blueberry Blintzes

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When the Silver Fox and I first had children, we agreed not to call each other Mom or Dad. Father's Day was always a celebration planned and executed by the kids and that worked wonderfully well until we all scattered across the country. Now, while there are still telephone calls and silly cards, the celebration has become very low key. I've taken to preparing one or two of his favorite dishes to make the day a bit more special, but that is usually the extent of the celebration here. His request this year was for blueberry blintzes and Korean barbecue chicken. I want to share both recipes with you, but we'll only touch on one tonight. I'm not usually fond of my own recipes, but this one is special and it is an exception. I love it for lots of reasons. While it requires some effort to prepare, it is a great way to feed a crowd. The recipe can be doubled or tripled if you are so inclined, and it is a marvelous addition to a brunch buffet or special breakfast. There are three basic steps to the blintzes and they can be executed in stages that make the dish quite easy to prepare. The most difficult is the preparation of the crepes. If that is off-putting to you, buy crepes in the supermarket and carry on with the rest of the recipe. If you plan to make them, remember that your batter should be about as thick as heavy cream. Additional water or flour can be added to reach that consistency if needs be. If you want tender crepes, let the batter sit for at least two hours before cooking. The resting time allows the flour to absorb the liquid and the foam to dissipate. Cover and refrigerate the batter if it is to sit for longer than 1 hour. The filling and the blueberry sauce are really easy to do and you'll have no problem with either of them. The sauce used in this recipe is exceptional and it still makes my socks go up and down. I know those of you who try this recipe will be delighted with the result. Here's how the blintzes are made.

Blueberry Blintzes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite
Ingredients:

Crepes

1-1/2 cups 2% milk
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling

1 cup (8 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
1 package (3 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup sugar
2 cups frozen unsweetened mixed berries
1/2 cup port wine or grape juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen thawed blueberries

Directions:
1) To make crepes: Combine milk, eggs and butter in a small bowl. Combine flour and
salt and add to milk mixture. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat a lightly greased 8-inch nonstick skillet. Pour 3 tablespoons of batter into center of skillet and lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom of pan. 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 plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate.
2) To make filling: Process cottage cheese in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and add mascarpone cheese. Beat until smooth. Beat in sugar, orange zest and vanilla.
3) To make sauce: Bring water and sugar to a boil. Add frozen berries and wine or juice; return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Mash and strain berries, reserving juice. Return juice to pan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 cup. Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and mix until smooth. Stir into blueberry sauce and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in berries. Set aside.
4) To assemble and cook: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread about 1 rounded tablespoonful onto each crepe. Fold left side of crepe over filling. Fold bottom side up and top side down to encase filling. Finally, bring right side of crepe to center, forming a small package. Place seam side down in a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch baking pan. Bake for about 10 minute, or until heated through.
5) To serve: Place 2 warm blintzes on each of 8 dessert plates. Top with warm blueberry sauce and serve. Yield: 8 servings.
 
This post is being  linked to Stone Gable's On the Menu Monday feature.







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