What is Cheese Blintzes?
Cheese blintzes are a Russian and Jewish treat served as dessert or a sweet snack. The blintz is rectangular and made by wrapping a thin crepe-like pancake around a sweet cheese filling of ricotta, cream cheese and sugar. The blintz is served warm and has a light texture, golden brown color and sweet creamy filling. It is often topped with a fruit syrup and makes a simple and decadent treat.
Ingredients
Ricotta is a fresh and unaged cheese made from the whey of cow's milk. It is also made with sheep, goat and water buffalo milk, but American versions often use cow's milk. The cheese is made of tiny white curds and retains a large amount of water. It is easy to mix and spread. Ricotta is a mild tasting cheese that is slightly sweet and salty.
Whole milk is a full fat cow's milk. Milk comes from a cow and is pasteurized and sold as a liquid dairy product. Whole milk is white and has a very thin viscosity. Whole milk has 3.25% milk fat in it and a rich and creamy flavor with a hint of sweetness. It is served as a beverage and is used extensively in cooking and baking as a liquid.
Eggs are an incredibly versatile protein and binder. Most eggs used in cooking come from hens and are usually unfertilized. Eggs are oval shaped and roughly 53 mm in length and 40 mm in width. Eggs have a hard, but thin and delicate shell that is brown or white and occasionally green. Inside is the clear and glossy white, with a slimy texture and in the center is the yellow opaque, round shaped yolk. Once cooked, the whites become opaque. Eggs can be scrambled, fried, boiled, and more. They are used in desserts and baked goods as a binder. Egg is also used as a wash to glaze items or dip meat into before breading it. The flavor is mild and sulfurous. It has many uses.
All purpose flour comes from wheat and though wheat is cultivated all around the world today, it was first cultivated in Turkey 10,000 years ago. All purpose flour is white in color and has a soft texture. This incredibly versatile flour is used in everything from breads, cakes, pastries, crackers, pasta, sauces and much more because of its pleasing and mild flavor that is slightly nutty and buttery. The gluten protein is what helps hold together breads and other products, part of what makes all purpose wheat flour so popular.
Cream cheese is a popular American dairy product. It is a fresh cheese with a mild flavor that can be slightly tangy. It has a high fat content, as it is made from cream and milk. Cream cheese is white and has a thick and spreadable consistency. It is served on bread, bagels and other baked goods and is popular in desserts and dips.
Water is a substance and chemical compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It is clear, fluid, flavorless and odorless. Water is a necessity in nearly every aspect of life, including cooking, baking and hydrating the human body. Water can be served as a cold beverage, or at any temperature comfortable to the mouth and skin.
Vegetable oil is obtained by extracting oil from seeds. Types of vegetable oil include canola, sunflower, corn, and safflower. Light and with a neutral taste, vegetable oils are used to fry foods, or can be used to lightly coat meats and vegetables before roasting. Vegetable oils are also used as ingredients in salad dressings and sauces.
Powdered sugar, also called confectioners sugar is made by grinding the sugar granules until they are powdered. They are then mixed with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent clumping. The sugar is white, powdery and looks a lot like a powdered starch. It tastes sweet and starchy. Powdered sugar is used in baked goods and on baked goods, as well as in icings.
Butter is made from churned cream, usually from a cow. It has a cream color and a texture that is smooth and melts easily. The flavor is mild and creamy. Butter is often sold in square sticks, or as a flat or round block. It is delicious on bread. It pairs better in baked goods than salted butter, due to its more neutral taste. It also makes an excellent cooking fat.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
Lemon zest is used in dishes to brighten the flavors and add a lemon flavor that is floral, citrusy, and anything but sour. Lemon zest comes from the yellow skin of the lemon. When using zest, none of the white pith underneath should be used, as it tastes bitter. The skin is shaved off in tiny pieces and this is what is called lemon zest, which also refers to the small size. The zest contains aromatic lemon oil and not juice. The small size of the zest makes it easy to incorporate into dishes such as pasta or into a cake batter.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
