Cheese blintzes are delicious. For those of you who don’t know them, they are a crepe wrapped around a cheese filling. They are so soft and comforting and perfect for puree. They are also nutritious.

There are many variations on the blintz, but the cheese blintz is the star. These were served in Ratner’s restaurant and in Wolfie’s on Miami Beach accompanied by a fruit sauce. You can add the fruit sauce to the puree, or you can serve the fruit sauce in a separate bowl, and dip the bite of blintz into the bite of fruit sauce. This way the puree remains golden and the fruit sauce adds color to each bite. If you puree the fruit sauce in with the blintz, the blintz puree will be the same color as the fruit sauce. I am going to give you the link to the Tori Avey website, because she has the best recipe I have seen, with photos to help you along the way.

Directions

The only difference in making them for a family versus making them for the dysphagia patient is that when you cook them in a pan, you may use butter, or you may use a non-transfat margarine or vegetable oil. Do not brown until the blintz has a crust, as shown in the image. Brown them ONLY until they are golden, meaning the crepe is cooked and the cheese is melted, but the texture of the wrapping remains soft. You do not want a crust to form, as this is difficult to puree.

For the Puree

Take one cooked blintz and break it into three pieces, and place it in the bowl of a mini food processor. Pulse a few times to break it, and then puree until smooth. They are a dairy item, from the Jewish kitchen, and so may be pureed with a dollop of sour cream. Add sour cream to taste. Repeat this process until you have pureed the desired number of blintzes. This way you do not overcrowd the bowl of your mini food processor.

For the Fruit Sauce

I give a recipe for a smooth fruit sauce in the Guidebook that I used to make with whatever fruit was in season. If you make the fruit sauce with strawberries, after cooking, please strain it through a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove the seeds. My mother loved them with sour cream and blueberry sauce. So, I used a high-speed blender to puree the blueberries and eliminate the skins. TIP: You may freeze these. I wrap each one in plastic wrap, and then put them in a rectangular freezer container with a lid. You can defrost them in the refrigerator for two hours or on the countertop. Then, you may simply brown according to directions.

Swirl Away!

Featured photo credit: PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay, cc