Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Cheese Blintzes
209 kcal a serving, against 455 for the traditional version. That is 246 kcal off, or 54%, with 17.2g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Blintzes start with a thin crepe, made from flour, eggs, milk and a touch of sugar, fried in melted butter until pale gold and just crisp at the edges. The filling is a mixture of ricotta, cream cheese, egg yolk and more sugar, beaten till smooth. Each crepe is filled, folded like a small parcel, then fried again in yet more butter to finish. Served hot, sometimes dusted with icing sugar or with a little sour cream.
What changed, and what each change costs
Switch full-fat ricotta and cream cheese for low-fat cottage cheese and fat-free Greek yoghurt
The classic filling is like eating a cheesecake in a duvet. Cottage cheese lifts the protein but can't match the silky texture. The yoghurt helps hold it together and keeps things decent, but it never gets as luscious.
What it costs you. You lose all the dreamy smoothness. It's a bit grainy and not nearly as rich. If you want that creamy mouthfeel, you'll just have to make your peace with it.
Cut the butter for frying and bake the blintzes instead
Not much mystery here. All that butter is why you get the crisp, golden edges. Baking the parcels on a hot tray does firm them up a bit but there's no chance of fooling anyone.
What it costs you. You get a soft-edged blintz with none of the fried crunch. Lighter to eat, but also lighter on flavour.
Replace whole milk with semi-skimmed, halve the sugar, keep all the eggs
Semi-skimmed does the job for the crepes without making them rubbery. Sugar gets slashed because cottage cheese can't hold as much, and it's not as lush anyway. I keep the eggs in full because otherwise the crepe falls apart.
What it costs you. It's less sweet and not as tender. The crepes are just a little more springy. Not a disaster, but don't expect a festival pudding.
Add a little more cottage cheese than the original had filling
You need the extra bulk to make up for the low fat - otherwise the blintzes just look sad and empty. Also does wonders for the protein count.
What it costs you. If you're eating with your eyes, these look more generous. The cottage cheese texture is the trade-off.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 455 | 209 |
| Protein | 14.2g | 17.2g |
| Fat | 30.4g | 4.3g |
| Saturated fat | 17.1g | 1.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.5g | 24.1g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.1g | 8.2g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
Traditional blintzes are comfort in rolled-up form. This bake is softer, heavier on the cheese, and nowhere near as luxurious. But it is filling, won't weigh you down, and you can get away with eating two without falling asleep. Is it as good as the original? No, not by a mile. But if you care more about protein than nostalgia, you'll manage.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.