Cottage Cheese Filled Blintzas

Blintzes are the cozy, old-world cousin of the crepe, thin egg pancakes wrapped around a sweet cheese filling, and a staple of Jewish and Eastern European kitchens.

The crepe batter is simple, just flour, salt, eggs, and water whisked smooth and thin. A thin coat of butter in a hot pan, a quarter-cup of batter swirled to coat, and you cook each crepe on one side only until it blisters and turns shiny.

The filling is a lightly sweetened blend of cottage cheese, egg yolk, and sugar, soft and creamy against the delicate wrapper.

You spoon it onto each crepe, roll it up like a little package, and serve.

A drizzle of chocolate sauce dresses them up, though they’re just as good with fruit, jam, or a dollop of sour cream.

Kitchen Tips

• Keep the batter thin so the crepes cook up delicate; add a splash of water if it thickens.
• Cook the crepes on one side only, as the recipe directs, until blistered and shiny; the unbrowned side goes inside.
• A nonstick pan and a very thin film of butter make turning out the crepes easy.

Variations

• Pan-fry the filled, rolled blintzes in a little butter until golden for a crisp exterior.
• Sweeten the filling with vanilla, lemon zest, or a handful of raisins.
• Serve with berry compote, sour cream, or powdered sugar instead of chocolate.