Cheese Blintzes #2

crepes, cottage cheese, Ricotta cheese


Serves: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

---------------CREPES------------------
3/4 c All-purpose flour
1/2 ts Salt
2 lg Eggs
1 c Milk
2 tb Unsalted butter; melted
1 Stick unsalted butter at


Instructions:

---------------FILLING-----------------
-room temp.
1 lb Ricotta cheese (or dry
-cottage cheese)
1 lg Egg yolk
1 tb Unsalted butter; melted
1 tb Granulated sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla extract

Make the crepe batter:

*** Sift flour and salt together into a bowl.

*** In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Add milk and 2
tablespoons of melted butter, beating until well mixed. Add flour mixture
and continue to beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate at least 30
minutes.

Prepare the filling:

*** Combine ricotta cheese, egg yolk, 1 tablespoon melted butter,
granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat with an electric mixer until
smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

*** Preheat oven to its lowest setting.

*** Remove crepe batter from the refrigerator. It should be the
consistency of heavy cream. If too thin, add up to 2 additional tablespoons
of flour to thicken.

*** Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a 7-inch skillet over medium heat,
swirling pan to

coat the whole surface. Put 1+1/2 tablespoons of batter
into the pan, swirling quickly to spread batter evenly over bottom of pan.
Cook until air bubbles begin to form on top on top and the edges start to
curl away from the sides of the pan. Remove crepe with a spatula and flip
over, browned side up, onto a plate. Repeat until batter is used up,
melting 1 teaspoon of butter in the pan before adding each 1+1/2
tablespoons of fresh batter.

*** To make blintz, take a crepe, browned side up, and place 1 tablespoon
of filling in the center. Lift the far edge of the crepe up and over the
filling, then lift up the near edge, overlapping and crimping the edges
together to close. Fold sides up, again overlapping and crimping to
secure. Transfer to a plate, and repeat with remaining crepes.

*** Melt the remaining butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add
a few filled blintzes, seam side down, and saute until golden brown. Gently
turn blintzes over and cook until the other side is golden brown. Remove
blintzes from the pan and place on an oven-proof plate. Keep cooked
blintzes warm in a very low temp. oven as you saute the rest.

*** Dust with confectioners sugar, serve with fruit sauce or syrup. Makes
16-18 blintzes

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Ricotta cheese

lasagna, ricotta cheese, manicotti


Ricotta is a fresh Italian cheese. It is traditionally made from fresh whey left over from the cheesemaking process. Ricotta is very mild, and it is used in many Italian dishes such as lasagna or stuffed manicotti.

You can use the whey left from all types of cheesemaking with the exception of the soft French-style goat cheese, soft molded or herbed goat cheese and Neufchatel. Those cheeses are made with drops of rennet which are not sufficient for ricotta.

The whey must be very fresh, so plan ahead to make ricotta on a day when you are already making other kinds of cheese. Yield is very low, and whole milk is added to boost the yield.

There are several ways to make ricotta. Here are some interesting ones to try. Ricotta can be used in many recipes, and it's great in cake mixes and other recipes. Besides adding extra protein, it makes cakes come out rich and moist. You can also beat it until smooth, add some herbs or dip mixes and have a terrific dip or spread. Because ricotta is such a mild cheese, it mixes nicely with other dishes. Be creative.

Old-fashioned ricotta

1 gallon or more of fresh whey
1 to 1-1/2 quarts milk

Heat whey to 195 [degrees] F in a large kettle, then slowly stir in the milk. Bring heat back to 195 [degrees] F, stirring often to prevent scorching. The ricotta is ready to drain when you see little white, fine-grained pieces forming in the pot. Line a colander with cheesecloth and pour the curds into the cloth. Hang to drain for one hour. When drained, remove the cheese from the cloth and add salt to taste. One-half teaspoon per two cups is about right. Store in refrigerator. Will keep for about a week. Use whole milk or cream for a richer ricotta.

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Angel of Death Cheese Spread Recipe

walnuts, Blue Cheese, Ricotta cheese ,

by Debbie R.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb Gorganzola or Blue Cheese
1 lb Ricotta cheese
2 Cloves chopped garlic
1 c Chopped walnuts
4 Fresh sage leaves

Directions

Salt to taste cheese cloth Chop garlic.
Add to 1/4 C of water in a small saucepan.
Reduce to 2 tablespoons. Beat cheeses together.
Add garlic mixture and salt if desired.
In a double layer of cheesecloth - put sage leaves in a pattern in the center.
Sprinkle nuts on top. Put cheese mixture on top of nuts.
Gather cheesecloth and form into a ball. Tie together.
Put the cheeseball in a strainer over a dish and let sit in the fridge overnight to drain.
Unwrap and serve!

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