“A man can forget absolutely everything – except to eat.”

 

Jewish folk saying

 

Blintz comes from a Yiddish word, blintze, which comes from a Russian word, blinyets, meaning little pancake. And basically that’s what they are: little pancakes – or crepes – filled with a cream cheese topping.

 

The pancake

2/3 cup flour

1 ½ cups milk

4 eggs

1 pinch salt

1 dash vanilla extract

 

Combine the flour and salt in one bowl; combine the milk and eggs in another. Then gradually add the egg-and-milk mixture to the salt-and-flour mixture. Add vanilla extract aqnd beat the new mixture thoroughly to prevent lumping. Cover and chill for about 30 minutes.

 

Pour about 3 tablespoons of batter on a medium hot, lightly buttered griddle and rotate to form an 8-inch pancake. Fry until the batter sets and curls at the edges.

 

Tip it out onto a clean cloth, fried-side up. Your batter should make about 16 blintzes.

 

The Filling

 

½ pound cottage cheese

¾ pounds cream cheese

1 egg

¼ cup sugar

1 ounce Grand Marnier

1 pinch cinnamon

1 pinch salt

1 pinch grated orange rind

 

Mix the ingredients well and place a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in the center of each pancake. Fold in the edges and roll the pancakes into tubes.

Then bake them until they’re warmed throughout. Delicious with sour cream and preserves.

 

Serves 4

Champagne goes well with these brunch dishes. You might also try a Mimosa: 3 parts chilled champagne to 1 part freshly squeezed orange juice.