Ricotta and Orange Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce -- Tyler Florence Fridays

I could not wait to make another yummy Tyler Florence recipe for

Tyler Florence Fridays, a fun new food blog group where everyone gets to chose a Tyler Florence recipe to make, review, and share. This week I chose Tyler's Ricotta and Orange Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce. They were amazing!



I love blinztes but my husband is not a fan so I don't make them often. This was the first time my children have had blintzes and they are hooked, yay! I mean, how could you not be? In case you haven't had them before, blintzes are pretty simple - crepes, filled with a cheesy filling, fried in butter, and usually served with a fruit sauce. My oober picky husband does not like crepes, ricotta cheese, or cream cheese, so these were a no go from the start for him. I made them while he was at work and invited my mom over and then three generations got to enjoy these lovely treats.
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Blintzes may seem complicated and like a lot of steps but making them is really not that tough. I skipped the oven part of Tyler's recipe (posted below) because I left the egg out of the cheese filling because it really was not needed. I find lots of recipes have eggs just thrown in to 'keep it together' but I usually leave them out and have not encountered any problems. Of course you need the eggs in the crepes themselves, but don't worry, Tyler didn't let us down with eggy crepes (which I have been a victim of) even though there were two eggs in the batter and I was a little nervous going in they turned out perfectly 'crepey' and not eggy at all :)


I used my VillaWare Grand Crepe Maker which makes big crepes which equal big blintzes, traditionally they are a little smaller, but no one has complained to me yet. Tyler's crepe batter is easily prepared in the blender, super easy and you can just pop it in the dishwasher for clean-up. Instead of frying in a pan I used my electric griddle which worked really well and made it possible to 'fry' all the blintzes at once.



Ricotta and Orange Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce
Tyler Florence
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Crepes:
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cold water
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more to cook crepes
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Cheese Filling:
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg (I did not add this egg)
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 orange, zest finely grated
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Strawberry Sauce:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch (I had to use two teaspoons cornstarch to get it to thicken just right, in a slurry of water to prevent clumping)
1 orange, zest finely grated
Unsalted butter, melted for sauteing blintzes
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
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Directions
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Make the batter: Combine the milk, water, eggs, flour, sugar, and salt in a blender. Blend on medium speed for 15 seconds, until the batter is smooth and lump-free. Scrape down the sides of the blender and pour in the melted butter. Blend it again for a few seconds just to incorporate the butter. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour to let it rest.
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Make the filling: In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, egg, confectioners' sugar, and zest and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
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Make the sauce: Combine the strawberries, sugar, water, cornstarch, and zest in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir gently until the berries release their natural juices. The consistency should remain a bit chunky, it will thicken up when it cools down.
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Make the crepes: Put an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush with a little melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into the pan and swirl it around so it covers the bottom evenly; pour back any excess. Cook until the crepe batter sets and the bottom is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to loosen the crepe and flip it. Cook it on the other side for about 1 minute. Slide them onto a plate and continue making the crepes until all the batter is used. Cover the stack with a towel to keep them from drying out. Makes about 10 crepes.
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Assembly: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese filling along the lower third of the crepe. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides in to the center. Roll the crepe away from you a couple of times ending with the seam side down. Put an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and brush with melted butter. Pan-fry the blintzes top side down until crisp and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip them over, transfer the pan to the oven, and bake for 10 minutes so the cheese mixture sets. Using a spatula, transfer the blintzes to serving plates. Spoon the strawberry sauce on top, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve immediately.
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Look at that little peek of the delicious ricotta filling in the corner, yum!

This is the perfect recipe for easy at home blintzes, my mom was commenting how these would be perfect for a holiday brunch. The kids are already asking when we can make more blintzes, and I personally loved these and how easy they were, this recipe will be made again for sure!