Last updated 8:10 p.m. ET on 10 May 1999.

At Last! A Holiday for Vegetarians!

We just love blintzes and blintzes are traditional on Shavuot. To paraphrase Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, "Why do we eat blintzes on Shavuot? I'll tell you why. I don't know! It's a tradition!"

Our dairy meal for Shavuot may look much more elaborate than it really is. The only thing that is particularly time-consuming is the blintzes, which can be made in advance -- and even frozen. Here's what our menu typically looks like:

  • Blintzes - strawberry, cheese, and blueberry. (We feel very patriotic when we make blintzes.)
  • Applesauce and sour cream (or an imitation thereof).
  • Cut up fruit, usually cantelope or a simple fruit salad.
  • Applesauce kugel.
  • For dessert, a Yogurt coffee cake. (Or, if we don't have time to bake, ice cream. Or, if we have a lot of extra time, home-made ice cream.)

Blintzes for Shavuot

To make blintzes, you need both blintz pancakes and blintz filling. Instructions for putting the two together follow the recipes.

Blintz Pancakes

3 eggs
2 Tablespoons oil
1-1/4 cups milk
1 cup flour
1-1/2 Tablespoons sugar
dash of salt

Mix the eggs, oil, and milk in a large bowl.
Whisk in the flour, sugar, and salt.
Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick frying pan.
When the pan is really hot, pour in about 1/4 cup batter and tilt the pan to cover the bottom with the batter.
Cook briefly, until the bottom of the pancake is lightly browned.
Lift the pancake out of the pan carefully and place on a paper towel.
Repeat process until all the batter has been used. It probably won't be necessary to re-oil the pan after each pancake. See the note below about low-fat blintzes.
Pancakes can be stacked, but keep pile covered with another paper towel.

LOW FAT BLINTZES: To cut down on the fat in this recipe, use skim milk and egg substitutes instead of whole eggs. With a non-stick frying pan, little to no oil should be necessary. I usually brush the pan once at the beginning (pastry brush dipped in canola oil) and often don't have to do it again. But it takes practice - beginners may need to oil the pan more frequently. Cooking sprays also work to help keep the pancakes from sticking to the pan.

Blintz Fillings

Cheese Filling:
2 cups cottage cheese (low-fat and nonfat work fine)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (optional)
1 egg (OR 2 egg whites OR 1/4 cup egg substitute)
3 to 4 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
lemon rind (optional)

Fills 12-16 pancakes, depending on how generous you are with the filling.

Blueberry Filling:
Blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Corn starch
Granulated Sugar

The sugar gives it a little sweetness, the cornstarch makes a nice blueberry syrup. Proportions aren't enormously important. Mix the corn starch and sugar and toss the blueberries in the dry mixture. If you like kind of soupy blueberry mush, use more of the dry mixture.

Strawberry Filling:
About the same as the blueberry mix, except use strawberries. Sliced strawberries are better than whole strawberries for this use. If you are using fresh strawberries, be sure to save some to spoon over the top after cooking.

Instructions for Assembling Blintzes

Okay, you've got your blintz pancakes, you've got some filling and now you need to put them together. Clear a nice large work space and make sure you have the following:

  • The stack of blintz pancakes, covered with a paper towel.
  • The filling and a spoon.
  • A plate or other area to fold and stuff blintzes on.
  • A large baking pan in which to place finished blintzes. Brush the bottom of the pan with melted butter or spray it with cooking spray before you begin.

Take one blintz pancake (cover your stack again) and put it on your plate or work area.
Put a dollop (I just love precise cooking terms) of filling on the pancake toward the end nearest you.
Fold the edge nearest you up over the filling, fold over the sides toward the middle, then roll it up (away from you).
Place the blintz in the pan with the loose edge down. That's all there is to it!
Refrigerate or freeze at this point if you wish.
To bake: Brush the tops of the blintzes with melted butter or spray with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Serve hot with sour cream, applesauce, and fresh fruit.

Applesauce Kugel

3 eggs beaten (OR 3/4 cup egg substitute)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained
(NOTE: The no-yolk noodles also work well.)
1 25-ounce jar applesauce
crushed cornflakes
additional margarine, cinnamon

Add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla to eggs. Mix well.
Add cooked noodles and stir until coated.
Spread half of noodles in greased 11" square pan.
Pour applesauce evenly over noodles.
Top with rest of noodles.
Sprinkle top with cornflake crumbs, dot with margarine, dust with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

Yogurt Coffee Cake

This is an adaptation of a recipe from one of those little Pillsbury recipe books.

Cake:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs (or 3/4 cup egg substitute)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
1 cup plain yogurt

Filling and Topping:
1-1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 Tablespoons margarine or butter, melted

Grease and lightly flour a 10-inch tube pan or 12-cup Bundt pan.
Combine filling and topping ingredients and set aside.
Combine dry ingredients for cake and set aside.
Cream sugar and softened margarine.
Add vanilla and eggs, mix well.
Alternately add flour mixture and yogurt to sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Spread half of batter in prepared pan, sprinkle with half of filling/topping mixture.
Repeat with remaining batter and filing/topping mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Cool upright in pan for 15 minutes; turn out onto a plate, then turn over onto serving plate so that the topping side is up.


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