My Bubby's Blintzes

When food is made with love you can taste it 

My mother’s blintzes are made with such care and love that you can taste it in every delicious bite. 

Every year for the holiday of Shavuot when it’s traditional to eat dairy foods my mother makes a big batch of these special blintzes for the family to enjoy. First, the wrappers are made which are called bletlach and in this family, we have three different fillings. Potato mixed with melted onions, savory cheese which is farmers cheese mixed with more of those onions, salt, and pepper, and sweet cheese which has cinnamon and sugar. A big dollop of the filling is placed just off center in each bletl (single of bletlach) then folded and rolled to tuck in the creamy filling. My mother learned how to make blintzes from her mother, my Bubby and I’m so happy that I got to learn how to make them too. I don’t have many memories of my Bubby as she passed away when I was 4 years old, but I get to connect to her through making her recipes and hearing stories about her life. 

Serve these blintzes with plenty of sour cream and enjoy them with people you love.

My Bubby’s blintz recipe is a true Bubby recipe so it’s a little bit of this and a pinch of that so the fillings are written somewhat in that style but my mother has found that the blintz recipe from Tyler Florence is most similar to what my grandmother did so that’s what I’ll share here so you will have the exact measurements. His original recipe makes 10 blintzes but I have written it here as doubled and it usually makes more than that because it depends on how much batter you pour in the pan and how big your pan is. The filling recipes below will make about 35-40 blintzes.

2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

2 cups milk

1/2 cup cold water

4 eggs

1/3 cup / 6 Tbsp butter, melted

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt then add the milk and water stir to combine then add the eggs and melted butter. Whisk until smooth it’s ok if it’s a little lumpy. You can also place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend for 10 seconds until smooth. 

Heat a 8” nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add a small pat of butter to the pan and swirl to melt around the pan. Using a ladle add about 1/8 cup of batter to the pan and swirl the pan to coat the bottom completely. Cook for about 30-40 seconds then using a rubber spatula gently peel the bletl from the bottom of the pan and use your hands to flip the bletl to cook the other side for just 3 seconds. Flip out onto a piece of parchment paper and then add more batter to the pan. Add another pat of butter after every few bletl. 

For melted onions 

Slice two large onions and add to a pot with a chunk of butter, a pinch of salt, and a splash of water. Cover the pot and cook the onions over a low flame stirring occasionally until soft and melted. This takes a while but your patience will be rewarded.

Potato filling 

Peel 2 medium potatoes and cut them into chunks and boil until tender

Drain, mash, and then add one egg, salt, and pepper to taste and half of the onions. Stir to combine 

Savory cheese filling 

Mix together an 8 oz package of farmer cheese or 250 grams of tuv taam with a pinch of salt and pepper and half of the melted onions.

Sweet cheese filling 

Mix together an 8 oz package of farmer cheese or 250 grams of tuv taam with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and a few spoonfuls of sugar along with a pinch of salt. Taste adding more cinnamon or sugar if necessary and then mix in one egg.

To fill and cook the blintzes

Place a large dollop of the filling about 1 heaping tablespoon in the bottom third of
one bletl. Fold the bottom over the filling then fold in the sides. Fold over and place in an aluminum pan seam side down. 

At this point, the blintzes can be kept in the fridge or freezer. When you’re ready to eat just heat up some butter in a pan and gently cook the blintzes until they are golden brown on both sides.

 

Ginger Lemon Turmeric Muffins

When I need to relax and just chill on the couch I always make myself a big mug of coziness. Hot water mixed with a few slices of fresh ginger, a wedge of lemon, a good drizzle of honey, and if I have any on hand some fresh turmeric. I just sit back and sip away and all is good while I'm enjoying this cup of so much flavor. 

Why not take the flavors of this comfy cozy drink and turn it into a muffin?

Ginger Lemon Turmeric Muffins 

2 1/2 cups flour 

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt 

1 cup milk of your choice (I used unsweetened soy milk)

1/4 cup oil 

2 eggs 

1/2 cup honey 

1 large lemon, zested and juiced - about 3 Tbsp - 1/4 cup lemon juice + 1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger OR 2-3 cubes frozen 

1 Tbsp grated fresh turmeric or 1 tsp turmeric powder

4 cubes of candied ginger, minced (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C 

Coat a standard-size muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line it with paper liners. 

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

In a liquid measuring cup, mix together the milk, oil, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the lemon juice, zest, ginger, turmeric, and candied ginger (if using). Mix until just combined. Make sure not to overmix your batter or else your muffins will be dense and chewy. 

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-18 minutes. 

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before popping them out and cooling them on a rack. 

Yield: 12 standard-size muffins 

Honey Muffins

A sweet new recipe for a sweet new year.

It's been quite a while since I've shared a new Muffin Monday recipe around here, but I thought with Rosh Hashana approaching it was the perfect time to share a recipe for the simplest but really delicious honey muffins. 

I know what you're thinking, oh it's another honey cake recipe, but trust me this is nothing like the countless honey cake recipes out there. This is a muffin so texturally it's different than cake and flavor-wise it is nothing like your classic honey cake. Honey cakes often have lots of spices, and other flavorings like cocoa or coffee which are very yummy in their own right, but these muffins are just celebrating the true flavor of honey. There are no other flavorings in these muffins that can mask the beautiful honey flavor. It's just honey and some basic pantry baking staples, that's it.

These muffins are great on their own or slathered in butter, jam, or drizzled with even more honey. 

Make these muffins to have on hand for Rosh Hashana or make a double or triple batch and have them stashed in the freezer to enjoy them throughout the month of Tishrei to start the year on a deliciously sweet note! 

Honey Muffins 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

3/4 tsp salt 

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil 

1/3 cup honey

2 eggs 

1 cup of milk of your choice 

1/2 cup sugar 

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C 

Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners or coat it with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix the oil, honey, eggs, and milk in a liquid measuring cup. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry along with the sugar and mix until combined.

Scoop into the prepared muffin and bake for 14-16 minutes. 

Yield: 12 standard-size muffins 

Like all the muffins on this blog, these should be stored in a zip-top bag or airtight container on the counter for about 3 days (if you don't eat them all before that) they also freeze beautifully. 

Applesauce Muffins

I often talk about that inspiration in the kitchen can come from anywhere: remembering a dish that my mother used to make, reading a book on Shabbat afternoon, or just a walk through the shuk to get my creative juices flowing. This week's #muffinmonday flavor came from walking down the canned foods aisle in the supermarket. I was looking for a can of crushed tomatoes and looked one shelf too early and saw a jar of applesauce and there it was this week's muffin flavor. 

Applesauce adds a delicious sweetness to the muffins and keeps them really moist and tender. These muffins are a great canvas for any add-ins like chopped dried fruit, diced apple or pears, nuts, and frozen berries. Make sure to use unsweetened plain applesauce so you are controlling the sweetness of the muffin and the apple flavor isn't masked by anything.

These muffins also have oats in the batter which adds great texture and make these muffins great for a quick breakfast.  

Applesauce Muffins 

1 3/4 cups flour (all-purpose or whole wheat) 

1/2 cup rolled or instant oats 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups unsweetened plain applesauce (3 single-serve 4 oz containers) 

1 Tbsp oil / melted butter 

1 egg 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk of your choice

3 Tbsp honey / silan / sugar /  maple syrup 

Mixins: 1/3 cup chopped mixed nuts, 1 small diced apple or pear, 1/3 cup frozen blueberries, 1/3 cup chopped dried fruit 

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C 

Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl mix together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl mix together the applesauce milk, oil, egg, vanilla, milk, and honey. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.

Scoop into prepared muffin cups and top with turbinado sugar and/or mini chocolate chips. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

Yield: 12 standard size muffins 

Like all the muffins on this blog, these should be stored in a zip-top bag or airtight container on the counter for about 3 days (if you don't eat them all before that) they also freeze beautifully. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It is raining in Jerusalem! 

Fine, it kind of drizzled, only this morning, for a few minutes. 

Ok so maybe it does not really count as a Jerusalem winter rain because it was not that much rain and it definitely is not cold but it is Sunday and it kind of rained so I’m making soup for #soupsunday! 

On Sunday mornings I do not have much going on in my kitchen in terms of produce as most of it has been used up for Shabbat cooking. Today I opened my fridge and found a butternut squash that I bought a few weeks ago and had been meaning to roast with some carrots and onions under a chicken, but that hasn’t happened so I decided to roast the squash and use it for a soup. 

Roasting butternut squash is great for a couple of reasons. First, roasting the squash imparts delicious flavor with pretty minimal effort, the sugars in the butternut deepen and caramelize which adds great flavor to the soup. Another great reason to roast the butternut squash is that you don’t have to deal with peeling and cubing the squash which can sometimes be a frustrating thing to do. As the butternut squash roasts, it softens and once it's cooled you can easily scoop the tender creamy flesh away from the skin. Yes, roasting and cooling the butternut squash does take time, but it is a hands-off step in the recipe and you can even prep the squash up to three days in advance and store it in the fridge or you can roast it, scoop it, and freeze it and defrost when you are ready to make the soup. 

The other ingredients for this soup are things that you most probably have on hand. Onion, carrot, and garlic add great base flavor to the soup. The curveball in the flavor department is an apple, any type will do, this adds a sweet-tart note to the soup and pairs beautifully with the butternut squash. 

There are a few spices in this soup and all of them compliment the sweet and nutty flavor of the squash. Black pepper for a contrasting earthy spice note, cayenne (hot paprika or chili flakes will work too) for a good kick to balance the sweetness, and cinnamon with its warm notes go perfectly with the butternut squash for those classic fall flavors. 

Make this soup today to keep in the fridge all week so you can enjoy a cozy bowl of autumn even if it’s 70°F outside. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup 

1 medium butternut squash about 2.5-3 lb.

3 Tbsp olive oil 

Salt 

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 medium onion, peeled and diced 

1 carrot, peeled and diced.

1 apple, any type, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Pinch of cayenne pepper/chili flakes 

1/4 tsp cinnamon 

3-4 cups of water

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C 

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seed. Drizzle the flesh of the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive and season with a pinch of salt and the black pepper. Place on a cookie sheet or oven-safe dish and roast for about 45 minutes or until very tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Once cooled scoop out the flesh of the butternut squash and set it aside. Discard the skin. 

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion along with a pinch of salt. Stir to coat the onion in the oil and salt and cook for 5-8 minutes. Add the carrot and apple and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the roasted butternut squash along with enough water just to cover the squash. You might need less than what is listed in the recipe it is always best to err on the side of caution because you can add more liquid you can’t remove. Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the flame, cover the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Using an immersion blender puree the soup until smooth add more water if necessary to reach your desired texture. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Ladle into bowls and top with roasted pumpkin seeds. To store the soup allow it to cool completely and then store it in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to one week or in the freezer for 3 months. 

Yield: 4 portions 

Marble Muffins

Are you team chocolate or team vanilla? Well, when it comes to these marble muffins you don't have to choose! A sweet vanilla batter gets swirled with a rich chocolate batter to make these muffins that will please the chocoholics and vanilla lovers in your house. 

I often talk about the inspiration for muffin flavors and the idea for these marble muffins came from two members of my family. My brother-in-law and one of my sisters-in-law share a birthday which is this week. My brother-in-law loves the classic marble cake and my sister-in-law is the queen of baked goods, loves chocolate, and lives for coffee so when I made the chocolate batter I added some coffee to accentuate the chocolate flavor. 

Marble cake is also the perfect cake to symbolize the relationship with siblings-in-law. When your brother or sister marries someone a new person is joining your family and you gain a new brother or sister. That new person blends into your family and adds another dimension. Much like the chocolate swirling with the vanilla your new sibling brings their amazing qualities to your family. Ok, that marble cake symbolism might have been a bit cheesy and a bit of a stretch, so happy birthday Daniel and Amy! I'm so happy that you married Ayala and Shalom (no backsies - Wendy it's not your birthday but that applies to Eytan too) 

Marble Muffins 

2 cups flour 

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup milk of your choice 

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil 

2 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2 tsp water 

Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C 

Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl mix together the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry along with the sugar. Mix until just combined.

Pour about half the batter into another bowl don't worry you don't have to be so exact. To the second bowl add the cocoa powder and the coffee. Stir until combined. 

Scoop about 1 teaspoon of the vanilla batter into prepared muffin cups and then top with 1 teaspoon of the chocolate batter add another teaspoon of vanilla batter on top and top off with the rest of the chocolate batter. Using a toothpick or skewer swirl the batter making sure to be touching the bottom of the pan so you are swirling all the layers. Don't over-marbelize the batter you still want to have two distinct colors.

Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

Yield: 12 standard size muffins 

Like all the muffins on this blog, these should be stored in a zip-top bag or airtight container on the counter for 2 days (if you don't eat them all beforehand) they also freeze beautifully.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins

Come September 1st people start talking about fall and all things fall-related even though the official start of fall isn't until 3 weeks later on September 22nd. It's now been almost 3 weeks since the official start of fall and while the weather here in Israel is still quite warm during the day, in Jerusalem I no longer wear sandals in the evening so for me, fall has finally begun. 

Whenever you think that fall begins there is one thing that has become synonymous with the start of fall and that is the pumpkin spice latte. The drink that was made famous by Starbucks (who started selling the seasonal item a bit too early this year on August 24th) is made with coffee, sweeteners, milk, and pumpkin pie spice. There was no actual pumpkin in the pumpkin spice latte until 2015 and it was only added to appease those that wanted to see actual pumpkin in the list of ingredients. Pumpkin spice is a spice mix made of the spices that are traditionally used in pumpkin pie: cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg. There is no actual pumpkin in the pumpkin spice mix. 

The combination of the warm spices with the bold flavor of coffee is a great combination and is delicious in latte form. But the pumpkin spice phenomenon has gotten a little out of hand with pumpkin spice hummus, dog treats, air freshener, seltzer, and the list goes on. 

I think that pumpkin spice should be used only in pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, and now pumpkin spice latte muffins! I took the flavors of this cozy fall drink and turned it into a muffin and I went with the original latte recipe and there is no actual pumpkin in these muffins just lots of coffee and pumpkin spice. 

If you don't have pumpkin spice on hand no worries it's simple to make your own blend

Enjoy these muffins with a piping hot latte and enjoy the cozy fall flavors even when it's still 82°F outside. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins

1/2 cup hot water 

2 Tbsp instant coffee granules 

2 1/2 cups flour 

2 tsp baking powder 

3/4 tsp salt 

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice OR 1 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg + 1/4 tsp ground ginger + 1/8 tsp ground clove

1/2 cup milk of your choice 

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil 

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar 

2 Tbsp turbinado sugar - optional 

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips - optional 

Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C 

Line a standard-size muffin tin with paper liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. 

Dissolve the coffee in the hot water and set it aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl mix together the milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry along with the coffee and the sugar. Mix until just combined.

Scoop into prepared muffin cups and top with turbinado sugar and/or mini chocolate chips. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

Yield: 12 standard size muffins 

Like all the muffins on this blog, these should be stored in a zip-top bag or airtight container on the counter for 2 days (if you don't eat them all before hand) they also freeze beautifully.