Crepes with Cottage Cheese

These savory crepes (known as naleśniki in Polish kitchens or blintzes in Jewish ones) turn a humble cottage cheese filling into something worth ordering at a restaurant. Button mushrooms sauté with cottage cheese until the mushrooms release their liquid and the curds tighten into a spreadable filling, earthy and savory rather than sweet like the breakfast blintz variety.

The crepe batter itself is minimal. Flour, eggs, a drizzle of olive oil, milk, and water whisk into a thin batter that pours into a hot pan and swirls into a barely-brown crepe in less than a minute. Make them all in a stack before filling, and the assembly goes fast.

Filled crepes get folded envelope-style and baked briefly, which warms the filling through and crisps the folded edges. Serve two per person for brunch with a side salad, or four as a light dinner. The whole dish works for meatless Mondays, Lenten Fridays, or any night a cheese-and-mushroom-stuffed something sounds right.

Chef Tips

• Let the crepe batter rest 30 minutes before cooking. Resting lets the gluten relax and hydrates the flour, giving you more tender crepes.
• Use a nonstick pan over medium heat. Butter or oil lightly between each crepe, not heavily.
• Sauté the mushrooms dry (no oil) until they release water, then add the cottage cheese. This concentrates mushroom flavor instead of drowning it.
• Fill crepes right before baking, not hours ahead. Wet filling makes the crepes soggy during storage.
• Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 15 minutes, just long enough to heat through.

Variations

• Use a mix of wild mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster) for more complex mushroom flavor.
• Add sautéed spinach or caramelized onion to the filling for extra vegetables.
• Top baked crepes with a drizzle of brown butter and fresh herbs, or a dollop of sour cream.