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Cheese Filling

1½ cups cottage cheese

4 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

1 egg

Blueberry Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 pints blueberries

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Juice of 1 lemon

Melted unsalted butter, for sautéing blintzes

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Make the crepe batter as indicated in the basic recipe, except add 1 tablespoon of sugar to the blender after you add the flour and salt. Make 10 crepes as directed.

In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, lemon zest, and egg and blend until smooth. Chill the filling to firm it up a bit so it doesn’t squirt out of the blintzes.

Combine the butter, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a low boil and stir gently until the berries break down and release their natural juices. The consistency should remain a bit chunky. It will thicken up when it cools down slightly.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Forming the blintzes is kind of like making burritos. Spoon ¼ cup of the cheese filling along the lower third of the crepe. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides in to the center. Roll the crepe away from you a couple of times to make a package, ending with the seam side down. Put an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brush with melted butter. Pan-fry the blintzes for 2 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes so the egg in the filling cooks slightly and the cheese sets. Using a spatula, transfer the blintzes to serving plates. Spoon the blueberry sauce on top, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve right away.

Torte of Buckwheat Crepes and Smoked Salmon with Cucumber Vinaigrette

2 hours, including resting time

This is what I like to call a fancy schmancy dish, but it’s so easy to do and you can make it a day ahead. You will need a springform pan.

Serves 8

1 recipe Basic Crepe Batter made with ½ cup buckwheat flour, replacing ½ cup of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature

1½ pounds smoked salmon, thinly sliced

1 red onion, finely diced

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

¼ bunch fresh chives, snipped

½ cup capers

Freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce salmon caviar, for garnish

Cucumber Vinaigrette

1 hothouse cucumber, peeled and sliced

¼ bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, hand-torn

1 tablespoon capers

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ pound mixed greens, for garnish

Make the crepes as indicated in the basic recipe.

Tear off 2 big pieces of plastic wrap and overlap them in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, letting the excess hang over the sides of the pan. Put a buckwheat crepe in the bottom of the pan. Using a spoon, smear an even layer of cream cheese on the crepe. It is very important that the cream cheese be at room temperature so it spreads easily and doesn’t tear the crepe. Lay several slices of salmon across the crepe in a single layer, completely covering the surface. Put another crepe on top and press it down slightly. Smear the crepe with another layer of cream cheese. Scatter with the diced onion, dill, chives, capers, and freshly ground black pepper. Add another crepe and repeat, alternating the salmon and “stuff” layers until all the crepes are used. You should end up with 5 layers of salmon and 5 “stuff” layers. Top with one last crepe. Save the leftover ingredients to garnish the torte. Fold the plastic wrap up and over to enclose the torte. Weigh the torte down with a small plate and stick it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight to let it firm up.

Make the cucumber vinaigrette by pureeing all the ingredients together in a blender. Remove the torte from the springform pan and unwrap it. “Ice” the top of the torte with a thin layer of softened cream cheese.