Cheese blintzes with blueberry compote

This week we celebrate the Jewish festival of Shavuot, a time when people all over the world fress (eat with abandon!) cheesecakes and pretty much anything with cheese in it, savoury or sweet. Cheese blintzes are traditional and irresistible; soft crepes are folded neatly around a luscious cream cheese filling to create rectangular blintzes of deliciousness. We love them golden-fried in butter to finish, served with a spoon of blueberry compote and a dollop of sour cream.

Cheese blintzes with blueberry compote

Makes 16

INGREDIENTS

Blueberry compote

110g (½ cup) sugar

1 tbsp water

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

pinch of salt

750g fresh blueberries

2 tsp unsalted butter

Crepe batter

500ml (2 cups) milk

2 eggs

75g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra butter for frying

2 tsp castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

150 g (1 cup) plain flour

Cheese filling

500g cream cheese, at room temperature, chopped

125g (heaped ½ cup) castor sugar

50g (2½ tbsp) sour cream, plus extra to serve

3 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. To make the blueberry compote, combine the sugar, water, lemon zest and juice, and salt in a medium saucepan and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Add two-thirds of the blueberries and mash coarsely with a potato masher. Add the butter and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the mixture boils, thickens and becomes slightly jammy. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining blueberries. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 160C. Butter a 28 x 22cm baking dish.

3. To make the crepe batter, combine the milk, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Using a stick blender or whisking by hand, combine the ingredients. Add the flour and beat or whisk until you have a smooth batter with no lumps. Transfer the batter into a jug for easy pouring and cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

4. To fry the crepes, heat a crepe pan or small, non-stick frypan over medium heat. Add a pea-sized knob of butter to the pan and swirl to coat the base. When it just starts sizzling, pour in a little batter. Swirl the pan so the batter covers the base and tip any excess back into the jug. You don't want the crêpe to be too thin or too thick. Cook gently over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes until you can gently lift an edge and peek underneath. When the underside is lightly browned all over and the top is set, flip the crepe onto a board or large plate. You will only be cooking the underside of the crêpe. Continue with the rest of the batter, piling the crepes on top of each other. Allow to cool before filling.

5. To make the filling, using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is light and smooth. Add the sour cream, lemon zest and vanilla, and beat well to combine.

6. To fill the blintz, lay one crepe flat on your benchtop, cooked side down. Place 2 tablespoons of the filling in the centre of the crepe (on the uncooked side), and shape into a log around 7 x 2.5cm. Fold the left and right sides of the crepe over to meet in the middle, and then roll up from the side closest to you until you have a small rectangular parcel. Continue until all the crepes are filled.

7. Place the blintzes in the prepared baking dish, seam side down. Cover the baking dish with foil and cook for 20 minutes or until the filling is hot. Alternatively, gently fry the blintzes in a knob of butter (a few at a time in a medium frying pan) for a few minutes on each side until the outside is golden and the filling is hot.

8. Serve with blueberry compote and sour cream.

Note: The filled blintzes may be made ahead and refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for up to a month before heating and serving.

This is an edited extract from Now for Something Sweet by Monday Morning Cooking Club (HarperCollins Australia). Buy now