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4.6 from 66 votes

Ratner's Cheese Blintzes

Recipe for Cheese Blintzes from Ratner's Dairy Restaurant in New York. Favorite dish of mobsters Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano. Kosher

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 18 servings
Calories: 205 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: European

Ingredients

Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup clarified butter (learn how here)
  • 1 pound farmer's cheese
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Sour cream, applesauce, or your favorite blintz toppings (optional)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and water till thoroughly blended. Beat the dry ingredients into the wet, whisking thoroughly till the batter is completely smooth with no lumps.Grease a small nonstick skillet and heat between medium and high. The skillet is ready when a drop of water sizzles on the surface. If the water pops or jumps out of the pan, the skillet it too hot—let it cool slightly before starting. If the water sizzles, it’s at the perfect temperature.
  2. For each blintz, pour roughly 3 tbsp of batter into the skillet, then quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion till the batter coats the entire bottom of the skillet, making a very thin, crepe-like pancake. The batter needs to be added all at once, otherwise it will cook before you've had a chance to swirl it. I measure it out by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup and filling it 3/4 full. It may take you a few tries to get the hang of the process-- proceed with patience!Let each blintz cook for 75-90 seconds until the bottom of the blintz is very lightly golden. You can tell it's ready by touching the center of the pancake's surface-- it should be completely dry to the touch. Do not flip the blintz to cook the other side, and do not let the edges get too brown or dry. Use a spatula to take the blintz out of the pan and place it on a plate.
  3. Keep the blintzes separated by pieces of parchment paper, wax paper, or paper towels. This will help keep them from sticking together.
  4. When all of the blintzes are cooked, let them cool while you create your filling. Rinse and dry one of the mixing bowls. Combine the farmer's cheese, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl, then use a fork to mix ingredients well.
  5. Note: Farmer's cheese (also known as pot cheese), while once popular, can be difficult to track down nowadays. It is primarily sold in kosher markets, and has a consistency somewhere between queso panela and ricotta cheese. If you don't have access to farmer's cheese, try using my alternate cheese blintz filling recipe on TheShiksa.com... or use an equivalent amount of ricotta cheese that has been very well drained, using cheese cloth to squeeze and remove as much liquid as possible.
  6. Now you’re going to stuff and wrap up your blintzes! Place a blintz with the lightly golden side facing down, the less cooked side facing upward. Put 2 tbsp of filling on the lower part of the blintz, about an inch from the edge.
  7. Fold the lower edge of the blintz up over the filling.
  8. Fold the sides of the blintz inward, as though you’re folding an envelope.
  9. Roll the blintz up and over the filling like a burrito, tucking the edges in as you roll. 
  10. When the blintzes are stuffed and rolled, you are ready to fry them. Pour 1 cup of clarified butter or grapeseed oil into a larger nonstick skillet (12 inches) and heat over medium until hot. Do not let the butter or oil turn brown or start smoking. Cook the blintzes in batches of 4 or 5--this will give you space to turn them easily in the pan. Carefully place the stuffed blintzes flap-side down into the hot oil. The blintzes should fry for 1 ½ to 2 minutes until the bottom of each blintz is golden brown and crispy.
  11. Turn the blintzes carefully using a spatula and/or tongs, then fry for an additional 1 ½ - 2 minutes. Blintzes should be evenly browned on both sides.
  12. Let the fried blintzes drain on a layer of paper towels.
  13. Serve blintzes warm. They can be served as-is or topped with fruit topping, sour cream, applesauce, whipped cream or maple syrup. Apparently Meyer Lansky liked his topped with sour cream.

Notes

  • You will also need: 2 mixing bowls, sifter, small nonstick skillet (7 -8 inches), large nonstick skillet (about 12 inches)
  • Craving a mix of savory and sweet? Fry these up alongside a batch of my famous scrambled eggs!

Nutrition Information

Calories 205kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 6g (12%) Fat 13g (20%) Saturated Fat 7g (35%) Cholesterol 95mg (32%) Sodium 183mg (8%) Potassium 32mg (1%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 85IU (2%) Calcium 12mg (1%) Iron 0.9mg (5%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 18servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 205

% Daily Value*

Calories 205kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 6g 12%
Fat 13g 20%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 183mg 8%
Potassium 32mg 1%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 85IU 2%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0.9mg 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.