Now that I had a batch of fresh homemade Ricotta Cheese the next step was to make something with it.  I decided to make a batch of Cheese Blintz to serve for Sunday Brunch with fresh Strawberries.  The crepes for the Blintz are easiest to work with if the Batter is made at least 1 hour ahead of time and then allowed to rest in the refrigerator.  If you try to make the Crepes right after making the Batter there will be too much air in the batter for the pancakes to form properly.  Now as far as I am concerned, the thinner the crepes the better, but of course you do need to have them thick enough to hold the filling without tearing.  You can use the Sweet Crepe Batter Recipe under the Recipe/Dessert Section of this Blog.  deserts/sweet-crepe-shells/ Just reduce the Sugar in the recipe from 1 Tbsp. to 1 tsp.

I made the Crepe Batter with the residual Whey from the production of the Ricotta.  This reduces the waste that normally would result from making the Cheese.  To make the Crepes, the Filling and the topping just follow the procedure below.

#1 – Make the Batter and refrigerate for at least one hour.

#2 – Rinse, dry, slice and sugar the Berries.  If using Blackberries, Boysenberries or Raspberries eliminate the slicing procedure.  Place the Berries in a bowl and squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lime (for every pint of berries) over the Berries and then toss with 1/4 cup of Superfine Sugar.  Taste and add more Lime Juice and/or Sugar as desired.

#3 – Make the Cheese Filling for the Blintz.   /deserts/cheese-filling/

4.  Make the Crepes –

Heat the crepe pan until a drop of water splashed on it sizzles;  melt the Butter and stir into the  Batter.

• Use approximately ¼ cup of Batter (the exact amount depends on the size of the pan)
• While you are pouring in the Batter, tilt the pan with your other hand to cover the bottom of the pan.
• When the edges begin to dry and bubbles appear on the crepe surface, turn it over with a heat-proof spatula and cook a few seconds more on the turned side.  (Cook one side to a light brown and the other just enough to set the batter.  This side should still be almost white when you remove it from the pan.) 
• You will be browning the Blintz in Butter before serving them so you do not want the second side to be cooked too long.

5.  Filling the Blintz –

• Lay the Crepe Shells on a flat plate or work surface
• Place a scoop of the Cheese Filling in the middle
• Fold in the sides and then fold over the top and bottom.  You should have a square package.

6.  To Serve –

• Melt enough Butter to make a thin sizzling layer in the bottom of a medium to large frying pan.  When the Butter starts to sizzle add the Blintz, leaving about 1/4 – 1/2″ between each one.
• When the bottoms brown gently turn and cook the other side.

• Serve while hot with the sliced Strawberries and Sour Cream or Whipped Cream as a Garnish.