Many of us have seasonal associations with Jewish holidays. The High Holidays and Sukkot: crisp, fall weather, a perfect time for a spiritual cleanse before we head into winter; Hanukkah: dark and cold winter, and a holiday of light to brighten the darkness; and of course, Passover: springtime and rebirth to signify freedom from slavery. My personal associations with Shavuot were always about the end of the school year and summer being just around the corner.
As a child, my family usually headed to Atlantic Beach, NY to celebrate Shavuot with my grandparents and revel in the end of another school year. I have fond memories of walking home from synagogue with my saba (grandfather), salty breeze blowing, to devour my savta’s (grandmother’s) famous blintzes. The streets in Atlantic Beach are ordered alphabetically and, stomach rumbling, I’d count down: Oneida, Putnam… I just looked at Google Maps, and it turns out the shul was only three blocks away
My grandparents have since passed away, and their house has been sold, but those memories live on. I’d like to think that my savta would approve of these blintzes, though they are completely gluten-free. The trick to these is a heavy, high-quality crepe pan, to ensure a thin and evenly cooked crepe. I use the DeBuyer Iron pan.
Gluten-Free Blintzes
An homage to my savta’s blintzes.
- Yield: 14-16
Ingredients
For my gluten-free flour mix:
- 90 g white rice flour
- 50 g quinoa flour
- 100 g tapioca flour
- 1 tsp psyllium husk
For the crepes:
- 240 g/2 cups of my gluten-free flour mix (above) or your favourite mix
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cup milk (regular, soy, or almond milk will all work)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp grapeseed or other vegetable oil + more for frying
For the filling:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 lb farmer cheese (or ricotta)
- ½ lb cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup or more sugar, to taste
- zest of 1 lemon
- jam, sour cream or your other favorite toppings
Instructions
- If you are mixing flours yourself, measure and mix ahead of time into a small bowl.
- Whisk milk, eggs, and 1 Tbsp oil together in a medium mixing bowl and add the flour slowly, whisking as you go. Whisk until the batter is smooth and has no large pieces.
- Heat your crepe pan on high with about 1 tsp oil.
- Make your crepes with about ¼ cup of batter, spreading it around as quickly as possible to get it as thin as you can. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes apiece, flipping with a metal spatula. The timing of this will depend on the kind of pan you use and how hot it is. Each side should be just slightly browned. These crepes are sturdy and can be piled on top of one another as you finish cooking them.
- Mix together all the ingredients for your filling.
- Take each crepe, 1 at a time, spoon 2-3 heaping Tbsp filling on the bottom third, fold the bottom edge of the pancake up and over the filling, fold the sides in, and roll up into a slim roll.
- To bake, put the blintzes side by side in a greased oven dish and bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes.
- To fry, heat about half an inch of grapeseed or vegetable oil in a frying pan, and when the oil is hot, fry each blintz for about 4 minutes on each side, until browned.
- Cool on a paper bag to absorb excess oil. Serve with jam, fruit, sour cream or other toppings.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Ashkenazi
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Savta
Pronounced: SAHV-tuh, Origin: Hebrew, grandmother.
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Shavuot
Pronounced: shah-voo-OTE (oo as in boot), also shah-VOO-us, Origin: Hebrew, the holiday celebrating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, falls in the Hebrew month Sivan, which usually coincides with May or June.
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shul
Pronounced: shool (oo as in cool), Origin: Yiddish, synagogue.
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