Madison Park Cafe used to be a favorite brunch place for my mother and I. After they closed we really missed their amazing cheese blintzes. So a few years back, I created my own version for Mother’s Day. Now it is an annual tradition. Creamy, sweetened ricotta on the inside brightened with just a little bit of lemon zest, wrapped in a delicate crêpe and topped with fresh raspberry sauce — these blintzes make a wonderful treat for a special breakfast.

Crêpes

3 large eggs

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon table salt

3 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for cooking

1 cup instant flour such as Wondra (see chef’s note)

Filling

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Toppings

sour cream

confectioners sugar

fresh raspberries

store-bought raspberry sauce, such as Fran’s Raspberry Sauce (see chef’s note)

Directions

Crêpes

Cut about 20 6-inch squares of parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, water, peanut oil and salt. Gradually mix in the flour. Cover and allow to rest 30 minutes while making the filling. After the batter has rested, heat a fry pan with a 5 1/2-inch bottom (preferably non-stick) over medium high heat. Stir your batter to make sure it is smooth. Brush fry pan with oil. Ladle about 2 tablespoons of the batter into the center of the fry pan. Working quickly, roll the pan around to create a thin even layer of batter that covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cook the crêpe until the bottom is a light golden brown and the batter is completely solid, about 30 seconds. You will know the crêpe is done when the edges begin to curl away from the edge of the pan or when an edge when lifted is brown underneath. Slide the crêpe from pan, using a flexible rubber spatula if needed and set aside on a large plate. To prevent the crêpes from sticking to each other keep them separated with squares of parchment paper. Repeat process until you have cooked all of the batter, occasionally brushing more oil into the pan between crêpes, if needed, to prevent sticking (it’s usually not). Note, you will only cook one side of the crêpe at this time. The second side will be cooked after the blintzes are assembled.

This crêpe recipe will make more crêpes than you will need for the blintzes. The extra can be wrapped in aluminum foil in packages of 4-6 crêpes and frozen for future use. To reheat them, place a covered dish in a 300 degree fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes.

Filling

Add all of the filling ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Make ahead note: The filling and crêpes can be made ahead and kept separately covered in the refrigerator overnight. To prevent tearing, allow the crêpes to come up to room temperature before assembly so they are sufficiently pliable.

Assembly

To assemble, place a crêpe cooked side up on your work surface. Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the filling onto the crêpe about one inch away from the edge closest to you and roll like a burrito by folding the edge closest to you over the top of the filling, folding in the sides, and then rolling the rest of the way closed. Set aside, seam-side down. Repeat until you have filled all of the crêpes.

Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Brush with pan with oil. Place the blintzes seam-side down into the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the seam has cooked closed, 1-2 minutes. Using a flexible spatula, gently flip the blintzes and cook the second side until it is also brown and the filling is warm through, another 1-2 minutes. Work in batches if necessary to allow yourself room to flip the blintzes. Cooked blintzes can be kept warm on a platter in an oven set on low.

Serving

Place two to three blintzes on a plate. Pour a few spoonfuls of raspberry sauce over the blintzes to taste. Add a dollop of sour cream and a few fresh raspberries. Then pour a spoonful of confectioners sugar into a small sieve and, holding the sieve over the blintzes, scrape the spoon back and forth across the bottom of the sieve to dust the blintzes with a snowfall of confectioners sugar. Serve immediately.

Chef’s Note

Flour: I suggest an instant flour such as Wondra since it can be used after only a 30 minute rest, which allows the flour to fully absorb into the liquid and makes for a light and delicate pancake. Regular flour can also be used, however, the higher protein content produces more gluten and, therefore, requires a longer rest of two hours before it is ready to cook.

Raspberry Sauce: Homemade raspberry sauce is lovely and if you would like to try your hand at it, I recommend Ina Garten’s Fresh Raspberry Sauce Recipe. However, I generally find after I have made this recipe I have done quite enough cooking for one day and so long as you choose a raspberry sauce that is not overly sweet, store-bought is perfectly acceptable. I look for one that has simple ingredients. Raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and water are really all you need.