Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
Grandma Lilly Zabar left me an enormous pile of dessert dishes and ice cream bowls. Every Sunday, my large and still growing family gathers around the table for lunch, and we fill those dishes with dessert, often birthday cake, Lilly’s blintzes, or my cookies. Whenever Lori Zabar shared a meal with us, she would reminisce about her summer birthdays, celebrated with cake in those very dishes.
We lost our dear Lori a few months ago, but she left us with countless memories of her smile and her laughter, and this book, her memoir of the Zabar family and the store. We will miss her forever.
Portrait of Louis & Lillian Zabar
From Zabar’s: A Family Story, with Recipes by Lori Zabar. Copyright © 2022 by Lori Zabar. Excerpted by permission of Schocken, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce
Inspired by Lilly Zabar and adaped from Zabar’s Deli Book (1979)
Edited and tested by Monita Buchwald
My father’s story of blueberry blintzes triggers a fond sensory memory of the buttery aroma of sautéing blintzes wafting from my grandmother’s kitchen in Mohegan Colony. Sometimes she served them with apricot jam sauce instead of blueberry sauce.
MAKES ABOUT 12 BLINTZES
SERVES 4
Ingredients:
For the batter:
2 large eggs
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
8 ounces farmer cheese
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For cooking:
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For serving:
Blueberry sauce (see below)
Sour cream (optional)
Directions:
1. Make the batter: Beat the eggs and water together. Add the salt, flour, and melted butter, and mix well.
2. Heat a small (6- or 7-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the bottom of the pan with some of the melted butter. When the butter sizzles, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of the batter to the pan. Swirl it around until it lightly covers the whole pan.
3. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom is a light golden brown. Slide the blintz onto a plate. Repeat until all the batter is used. You should have 10 to 12 blintzes, depending on the size of your pan.
4. Make the filling: Mix together the farmer cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla. Put about a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of the uncooked side of the blintz wrapper. Roll up and tuck in the ends. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and filling.
5. Finish the blintzes: Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter for cooking in a large skillet over medium heat. Place some of the blintzes in the pan, folded side down, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Flip the blintzes over and cook the second side until golden. Repeat with the remaining blintzes. Add more butter if needed.
6. Serve with the blueberry sauce and sour cream if desired.
Blueberry Sauce
MAKES 2 CUPS
1 pint blueberries (about 2 cups)
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ½ tablespoons fresh orange juice (or for a slightly tarter taste, use lemon juice)
Directions:
1. Place the blueberries, water, sugar, and cornstarch in a small pot. Bring to a gentle boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer until the blueberries start to break down but retain their shape, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the orange juice and stir.
3. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Tracey Zabar's Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes is available here.
A delectable collection of innovative chocolate chip recipes by world-renowned chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers
Tracey Zabar's One Sweet Cookie Cookbook is available here.
A delicious collection of cookie recipes from extraordinary chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers. A great gift sure to delight anyone who loves to bake.
