Fresh Blueberry Blintzes

by eatwoo.com 11 May 2019, 14:47 2k Views

Fresh Blueberry Blintzes

Blintzes are a New York institution, like the Empire State Building and Yellow Cabs. A blintz is basically a crepe filled with slightly sweet and lemony ricotta filling (in our case, vegan cream cheese and tofu in place of ricotta) and often topped with a fruit compote. We decided to use fresh blueberries to make it a little healthier.

Ingredients for Fresh Blueberry Blintzes recipe

Filling

½ (8-ounce) package vegan cream cheese
½ (16-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon

Crêpes

1½ cups white flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups soy milk
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan margarine, plus more for cooking
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons applesauce

To Assemble

Olive oil cooking spray
¼ cup vegan margarine, melted
1½ to 2 cups fresh blueberries
Powdered sugar, for dusting

How to make Fresh Blueberry Blintzes ?

Make the filling: In a food processor, combine the vegan cream cheese, tofu, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest and blend until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the crêpes: In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and soy milk and beat together with an electric handheld mixer. Once the batter is completely blended, add 2 tablespoons of the vegan margarine, the vanilla, and the applesauce. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes with the bowl tilted so the batter gets light and creamy.

Heat your deepest cast-iron skillet over medium heat and lightly coat it with vegan margarine. (You’ll have to coat the skillet between each crêpe, so keep the margarine out.) Once the margarine begins to bubble, you’re ready to make crêpes.

Using a ladle, pour ⅓ cup of the crêpe batter into the skillet. Immediately rotate the skillet by rolling your wrist while holding the handle until a thin layer of batter covers the bottom. If your skillet is heavy, use a potholder to hold the other side of the skillet and use both hands to rotate the skillet. Cook until the edges of the crêpe begin to turn light brown. Run a wide spatula along the edge to loosen the crêpe, then flip it and cook the other side until light brown. Transfer the crêpe to a plate, top with a piece of waxed paper, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat until you have used all the crêpe batter.

Assemble the blintzes: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.

Place one crêpe on a flat surface and spoon 3 tablespoons of the filling into the center in a straight line. Fold one edge of the crêpe over the filling and gently press it into the filling, then fold the other sides over and tuck them underneath. Place the blintz on a plate with the seam side up. Repeat until you have filled all the crêpes.

Brush the same skillet in which you cooked the crêpes with some of the melted vegan margarine and set it over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, place the blintzes in the skillet, seam-side down, and brush with more melted margarine. You may need to work in batches.

Cook the blintzes for about 30 seconds to seal them. Using a spatula, gently roll the blintzes in the skillet and cook them evenly until they are a golden brown and have lightly crispy edges. Try not to brown the blintzes for more than 2 minutes.

Transfer the browned blintzes to the prepared baking dish. Bake the blintzes for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the dish for 5 minutes.

Serve warm, topped with some blueberries and a pinch or two of powdered sugar.