While I often serve blintzes alone, I also love to pair them with complimentary flavors to enhance a meal. Whether it’s a family dinner, or entertaining guests, blintzes make for an awesome meal when you add in the following dishes.
Fruits and Vegetables
Blintzes are great on their own but can also be accompanied by a variety of other foods. Because a blintz is made with cheese stuffing, it goes great with fruit, whether it’s on top of the blintz or served on the side.
A salad also makes a great addition to a blintz spread. For an appetizer, you can always serve your blintzes with a side of sliced cucumbers, asparagus, red peppers, and tomatoes.
Fish
Because blintzes are so light and airy, they make a great addition to any type of fish dish. Salmon, for example, can be served alongside your blintzes or as a precursor to dinner. Include a dill yogurt sauce and your meal will be complete.
Chicken
Chicken blintzes are another popular dish that can be made with a blintz. They are stuffed with the chicken and then served with mushrooms on the side. For the filling, you will need to first season your chicken with salt and pepper on the outside, and then fill it with thyme.
In a separate pan, cook your mushrooms. You can use any type of mushroom that you want, but wild mushrooms work best with this dish. Once the mushrooms are done cooking, set them aside and put oil in a hot skillet along with onions and leeks. Once the vegetables have cooked, add in the mushrooms and chicken and continue to stir.
Slowly add in flour, chicken broth, and a little bit of white wine into the mixture. Add salt and pepper when needed and continue to adjust the seasoning to your liking.
You should let the finished mixture sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. When the mixture has cooled completely, you can begin to scoop it into the pancakes. After adding in the mixture, begin to fold your blintz up into a rectangle.
After the blintzes have been stuffed with the chicken filling, you can begin to fry them in a skillet. Be sure to turn over both sides so that each side gets browned completely.
You can serve your blintz with a scoop of crème fraiche on top or a dollop of sour cream. Add some chopped chives on top for garnish and a little bit of extra flavor.
As Dessert
The best thing about blintzes is that they can be made both sweet or savory. This means that you can have some for dinner and dessert. Serve them up with a strawberry or raspberry preserve and a cup of coffee or tea and you have the perfect after-dinner snack.
For Breakfast
If you’re feeling creative, a blintz can be stuffed with scrambled eggs and eaten for breakfast. You can also include them in your pastry spread or alongside bagels and toast.
A blintz can also be eaten like a pancake and can be drizzled with honey or syrup and topped with butter and berries.
On its Own
As mentioned earlier, a blintz is delicious on its own. Traditionally, a blintz is stuffed with farmer’s cheese, which is similar to a blend of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese and cream cheese. A blintz is cooked twice: once to create the pastry, and then again after it has been stuffed. When cooking the second time, you want to make sure that the blintz is browned on both sides.
While the blintz is still warm, you can top it off with sour cream and different types of fruits. Additionally, you may also want to consider leaving them plain and dipping them into a chocolate sauce or a fruit preserve and topping them with powdered sugar.
Cream Filling
A blintz isn’t complete without its filling, and in order to make it, you’ll need a few ingredients: a tub of ricotta cheese, cream cheese, granulated sugar, and some lemon zest. Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.
Your filling should be scooped into the blintzes just after they come off the stove and while they are still warm. You’ll want to add about three tablespoons of the filling in the blintz and then roll it up. A blintz can be garnished with powdered sugar, fruit, or sliced almonds.