Blintzes

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sparkling water. Add the eggs, butter and salt.

Whisk again until fully incorporated. The batter should have the consistency of double cream.

Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, put the cheeses in a large bowl or in a food processor and add the vanilla extract, egg yolk and icing sugar. Mix together, then put in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.

To make the cherry sauce, put the pitted cherries in a small pan with the orange zest and juice, sugar, cinnamon and rum. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Keep the sauce warm.

 

Before cooking the crêpes, add 50ml boiling water to the batter and whisk thoroughly. This ensures the blintzes are soft and pliable when rolling (it’s a top tip from Michael Zee from Symmetry Breakfast).

You can bake or fry your blintzes to finish them, though I prefer them baked. If baking, preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and butter a baking dish. Preheat a non-stick frying pan. Test that it is hot enough by putting a few drops of water in the pan. If the water sizzles, it is perfect for cooking the crêpes. If bubbles burst, reduce the heat a little. Wipe the pan with a buttered piece of kitchen paper, then pour in sufficient batter to coat the pan thinly. Cook over a medium heat until the blintz is a little crispy around the edges and firm on top. Do not flip. Stack on a plate interleaved with kitchen paper. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more butter to the pan each time. (This can be done ahead of assembling the next stage, if you like.)

When ready to serve fill the blintzes. Put a blintz on a flat surface cooked-side up. Put 2–3 tablespoons of cheese filling in the lower third of the blintz and flatten with the base of a spoon. Be sure not to overfill. Fold the base of the blintz over the filling and then fold the two sides into the middle and roll the blintz from the base to the top.

Put all the rolled blintz in the prepared baking dish. Scatter with cubes of butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until enticingly brown. Alternatively, the assembled blintzes can be fried in a large frying pan in melted butter for 4-5 minutes until crisp and golden, turning once.

Mix the icing sugar with the cinnamon and use to dust the cooked blintzes. Serve immediately with the warm cherry sauce. Traditionally, soured cream is served too, but I think this is probably over-gilding the blintzes which are plenty rich enough.