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Ingredients
and instructions:
Well battered - Shavuot
wouldn't be Shavuot
without the blintz,
writes
Stuart Zipper
ONE OF THE nicest
things about Shavuot
used to be the bargain
prices for which the
holiday could be celebrated
because o the subsidies
on dairy foods.
But though those days
are no more than a
memory, the basic
blintz beautiful is
still easy on the
pocketbook. And for
millions of Jews around
the world, it simply
would not be festive
Shavuot meal with
a pile of blintzes
on the table.
One could buy any
of the many frozen
blintzes on the market,
and indeed for year-round
consumption these
are convenient meal
for those with little
time to spend in the
kitchen. But for the
holiday, the delicate
texture of home-made
blintzes is demanded.
Even for those who
have never rolled
their own blintz,
it is still not too
late to learn in time
for this year's holiday.
The secret to the
blintz beautiful is
all the batter - how
it's made, cooked,
and rolled up.
Proper blintz batter
is very thin. For
about two dozen blintzes,
beat four eggs, sift
a cop of flour with
a teaspoon of salt,
and add it alternately
with 1 1/2 cups milk,
mixing well. (Water
can be substituted
for part of the milk,
or for all of it to
make parve blintzes
to eat with meat meals.)
Add two tablespoons
of melted butter,
margarine or oil to
the batter and
mix again.
The blintz pancake
should be cooked on
the heaviest-gauge
frying pan available
to avoid hot spots
which will cause it
to cook unevenly.
Although any diameter
can be used, a 15
to 17 cm. one is recommended.
Pre-heat the pan,
buttering it well
for the first and
each succeeding pancake.
Pour about two tablespoons
of batter (for the
15 to 17 cm. pan)
in the centre, and
rapidly tilt the pan
around to spread the
batter evenly over
the bottom. Cook over
medium heat until
the batter is set
and the bottom just
starts to lightly
brown.
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At this point, turn
out the pancake, browned
side up.
One Jerusalem Post staffer
reports her grandmother
insists the pancake
be turned on to a sheet
of newspaper -- and
be thin enough to see
the print thought. Not
being too sure of the
cleanliness of that
method, nor wanting
to read yesterday's
news transferred on
to today's blintz's
of double-thickness
of paper towel, or a
clean kitchen towel
might be a
batter idea.
The choice of filling
of blintzes is enormous
- form cheese to fruit
to meat to vegetables
but for Shavuot only
a cheese filling will
do.
A basic filling consist
of 500 grams of cottage
cheese, one or two
egg yolks, a teaspoon
of salt, and two or
three tablespoons
of sugar (to taste).
Some cinnamon, or
a half to a full teaspoon
of vanilla, or both,
can also be added.
Some people may find
the filling a bit
loose. In that case,
drain the cottage
cheese first. Part
of the cottage cheese
can also replaced
by cream cheese, or
a tablespoon or tow
of cream can be added,
for a creamier filling.
Other little extras
for the filling can
include a handful
of raisins or any
other dried fruit,
chopped into raisin-size
pieces.
The filling is the
chance for even a
novice cook to be
creative, with little
danger of failure.
Put about a tablespoon
of the filling in
the centre of the
pancake, and roll
up the blintz, being
carefull to tuck in
the ends.
The experienced cook
will save time by
quickly filling and
rolling one blintz
while the pancake
for the next is cooking.
When all the blintzes
are made -- and this
can be done hours
before guests are
to arrive and the
blintzes refrigerated
-- heat a large frying
pan, butter generously,
and fry the blintzes
unit golden, carefully
turning to brown both
sides. Cheese blintzes,
of course are served
on Shavuot with nothing
less that sour cream,
although for the rest
of the year berries,
honey, fruit compote,
or any other appropriate
topping can be used.
Having mastered the
basic blintz beautiful,
the next step is to
graduate to one of
the many ethnic versions.
One favorite is Italian
manicotti, really
nothing more than
a blintz baked, instead
of fried, with tomato
sauce.
For the manicotti
filling, us 500 grams
of ricotta-type (non-fat
while solid) cheese,
2 beaten eggs, a haft
cup of grated parmesan
cheese, a half cup
of chopped parsley,
and a teaspoon of
salt. When rolling
up the pancake with
filling. It is not
necessary to tuck
in the ends.
Put the finish manicotti
in a baking dish,
cover with about three
cups of any favorite
tomato sauce and bake
for half an hour at
200 degrees C. |
