Lemon & Dried Blueberry Blintzes with Orange-Lime Compote

[kirra]

Lemon & Dried Blueberry Blintzes with Blood Orange-Lime Compote

Ingredients:

Crepes:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons powdered sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cup water
6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for brushing

Filling:

2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3/4 cup dried blueberries

Preparation:

Crepes:
In a blender combine the flour, powdered sugar, eggs, milk, water and melted butter. Blend until smooth. Let the batter rest, refrigerated, for 20 minutes (or up to 1 day).

Heat a 10-inch, nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium. Brush the pan with melted butter (you may only need to do this for every other crepe). Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan, then immediately tilt and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom. Cook the crepe until the edges are lightly browned and beginning to curl up, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Carefully loosen the edges of the crepe with a spatula and flip the crepe over in the pan. Cook until the second side is slightly browned, about another 20 seconds. Slide the crepe onto a plate.

Prepare the remaining crepes in the same manner. There should be enough batter for 16 crepes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray.

Filling:
In a medium bowl stir together the ricotta, sour cream, sugar, egg, egg yolk, lemon zest and dried blueberries.

Assembly:
One at a time place a crepe on a clean work surface with the paler side facing up. Place 2 tablespoons of the ricotta filling at the center of the crepe. Fold the opposite sides of the crepe over the center until they barely touch. Fold in the other 2 sides to make an envelope that completely encloses the filling. Place each folded crepe seem down in the prepared baking dish.

Brush the tops of the blintzes with melted butter and bake until they are golden and begin to puff up, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with sour cream (if desired) and blood orange-lime compote.



Blood Orange-Lime Compote

Blood oranges give this easy-to-make compote a festive crimson color. But naval oranges or even red grapefruit work, too. The syrupy sauce will keep for at least a week when refrigerated in an airtight container. Serve it warm or cold as a topping for blintzes, pancakes, ice cream or a dish of plain, Greek-style yogurt.

Ingredients:

4 blood or naval oranges
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Preparation:

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 1 orange (avoiding the bitter, white pith). Using a sharp knife, cut the strips of zest lengthwise into very thin strips. Set aside.

Using a sharp knife, cut the ends off of the oranges. Stand each orange on the cut end and using the knife, remove the skin and white pith. Over a small bowl to collect the juice, cut the oranges into segments, being careful to remove any seeds.

In a medium saucepan, combine the orange segments and juice, reserved zest, sugar and lime juice. Heat over medium-high until the mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to maintain a fast simmer.

Cook until the oranges have broken down and the liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes. The compote will thicken more as it cools. Serve warm or cold. Makes about 1 cup.