Breakfast

Sweet Cheese Blini

Name: Sweet Cheese Blini
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 filled blini (serves 4)
Ingredients: 1 batch blini (about 10), cooled; 1 lb (450 g) farmer's cheese or tvorog; 1 egg yolk; 3 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract); pinch of kosher salt; 2 tbsp butter, for frying; To serve: sour cream and jam (raspberry, apricot, or plum)

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Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

35 min

Serves

Makes 8 to 10 filled blini (serves 4)

Golden, lightly crisped, and filled with sweetened farmer's cheese, these turn a stack of blini into breakfast. The thin pancakes wrap around a soft tvorog filling, then fry in butter until the outside browns and the inside warms through.

Ingredients

1 batch blini (about 10), cooled
1 lb (450 g) farmer's cheese or tvorog
1 egg yolk
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
pinch of kosher salt
2 tbsp butter, for frying
To serve: sour cream and jam (raspberry, apricot, or plum)

Instructions

1
Stir the farmer's cheese, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla, and salt together until smooth and spreadable.
2
Lay a blini browned side down. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling onto the lower third.
3
Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in both sides, then roll into a tight rectangle. Repeat with the rest.
4
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the filled blini seam side down.
5
Fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden and warmed through.
6
Serve warm with sour cream and a spoonful of jam.

Cook's Note

Drain wet farmer's cheese in a sieve for a few minutes before mixing, or the filling will leak. Keep the heat at medium; too high and the butter burns before the center is hot.

Best Served With

Sour cream and jam are the classic pairing. A pot of black tea finishes the table.

Why This Recipe Works

Farmer's cheese holds its shape when it warms instead of melting and running, so the filling stays creamy inside the wrap. Frying browned side out gives the blini a second, crisper surface, and the butter carries flavor the first cook could not.

Make It Yours

Add lemon zest or a handful of raisins to the filling.
Swap the jam for fresh berries or a dusting of powdered sugar.
For a savory version, skip the sugar and fold in dill and a little grated hard cheese.

Leftover Strategy

Filled, unfried blini keep in the fridge for a day; fry them fresh in the morning. Cooked ones reheat in a buttered pan.

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