Joliet Jewish Congregation - Printer Friendly Recipes

Batter:

1-1/8 cups flour
1-1/2 cups milk
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. corn oil
3 large eggs
butter

Beat the eggs, salt and milk together until foamy. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Addd the oil and refrigerate for 1 hour. Pour 1 tsp. of oil into the crepe pan with 1/2 tsp. butter. Place the pan on medium-high heat, wait unil the fat sizzles. Ladle just enough batter into the pan so that the surface of the pan is barely covered when you rotate it. Replace the pan on the heat until the top of the crepe appears "set," not liquid. On an electric range rotate the pan several times for even heat. Turn the crepe, cook on the second side for 30 seconds. This will be the outside of the blintze. Remove to a foil-lined counter. Add another sliver of butter to the pan and repeat the procedure until no more batter remains. Makes 18 to 20 crepes. Keep them in a single layer. Use 2 Tbsp. filling for each blintze.

Filling the blintzes:

Fill and roll the traditional blintzes by
first, placing 2 Tbsp filling into the middle of the inside of the crepe.

Next, fold the top and bottom of the crepe over the filling toward the center of the crepe.

Then, fold the left side toward the center.

Lastly, fold the right side toward the center, overlapping the other folded sides so that the filling is completely enveloped.

The filled blintzes can ge kept hot in the oven before serving. OR: The blintzes can be cooled and frozen with foil between the layers. To reheat, bake them in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. They must be very hot. Serve with sour cream, jams, and fresh fruit. Serve as hors d'oeuvres, main course, or dessert.

Rich Dessert Filling
3 Tbsp. white raisins
1-1/2 Tbsp cognac
12 oz. softened cream cheese
6 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
1-1/2 tsp. melted butter
1-1/2 Tbsp. sour cream
Grated rind of 1 large lemon
3/4 tsp. vanilla

Marinate the raisins in the cognac 8 hours. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and flour together until fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients except the raisins and mix well. Add the raisins, mix and chill. This filling is very rich and perfect for dessert.

Traditional Cheese Filling
1-1/4 lb. farmer cheese
5 oz. softened cream cheese
2-1/2 Tbsp. soft butter
1/3 cup + 1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
Mix ingredients until smooth and creamy. Chill.

Cherry Cheesecake - New York Style

Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 Tbsp. melted butter
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice (optional)
Mix the ingredients and pat into the bottom of a greased 9" or 10" springform pan. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center of the oven.

Cake:
32 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp white flour
5 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Place the cream cheese, sugar and flour into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat at low speed until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well at low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat well at low speed.

Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator, uncover, and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a baking sheet and place into the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and lower the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for another 1-1/2 hours or until firm with only the center a little wet. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack.

Sour Cream Topping:
2 cups sour cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and spread over the top of the cheesecake. Bake the cheesecake for 15 minutes to set the topping. Remove the cake from the oven, place on the wire rack, and carefully loosen the cake from the inside edge of the pan. Allow to cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one day. Can be served with fresh fruit or fruit pie filling.
Hint: Add 1 Tbsp. cherry liquer or kirsh to cherry pie filling, 1 Tbsp. peach schnapps to peach pie filling, etc.

Vegetarian Four Cheese Lasagna

2 cups peeled and diced pumpkin OR 2 cups canned pumpkin
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
5 tomatoes OR 1/4 cup minced sun-dried tomatoes
1 pint ricotta cheese
9 ounces crumbled feta cheese
2/3 cup pesto
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
fresh pasta sheets
1-1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. If using diced pumpkin, place pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast in oven until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. If using canned pumpkin, skip this step.
3. Meanwhile, grill eggplant on a charcoal grill or fry in a skillet, turning once, until charred and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. If using whole tomatoes, halve them and place on baking sheet in oven for last 15 minutes of pumpkin time; cook until tender and wrinkly. If using sun-dried tomatoes, skip this step.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, feta, pesto, eggs, salt and pepper until well mixed. Fold pumpkin into ricotta mixture.
6. Spoon half of the tomato sauce into a 9x13 baking dish. Lay two pasta sheets over the sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices over pasta and top with half the ricotta mixture. Cover with two more pasta sheets. Arrange the tomatoes evenly over the sheets and spoon the remaining half the ricotta mixture over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining two sheets of pasta. Pour remaining tomato sauce over all and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
7. Bake in preheated oven 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

3 boxes blintzes (1 cheese and two fruit filled)
1/4 lb butter/margarine
7 eggs
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup orange juice

Melt butter or margarine in a 13x9 baking dish. Arrange blintzes in dish.
Beat remaining ingredients together and pour over blintzes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 1 hour
Serve with sour cream.