Beginner to blintzes

[itryalot]

A few weeks ago I had blitzes (sp?) as part of a breakfast meal. They had a cheesy (cottage?) consistency and were warm and had fresh fruit on the inside. They were delicious; I had never eaten them before.
I have some fresh berries and tomorrow was planning on making some buckwheat crepes. Are these difficult to master?
What is the difference between a blintz and a crepe? Are they always sweet and served warm? They are rolled differently.

[blinknoodle]

We use the same recipe for crepes for the blintzes. For us, they have always been sweet, but we'll eat them as a main course regardless. This is our recipe:

Cheese Blintzes

Crepes

4 eggs
1 cup flour
1.5 cups milk
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
pinch salt

1. Combine ingredients.
2. Beat the eggs well, then beat in the milk, salt, flour and butter (you can use a blender to mix well).
3. Let stand for 20 minutes.
4. Ladle onto greased frying pan, flipping when edges are firm and crepe is golden brown.

Filling

500 mL cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup cream of wheat
1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. Blend filling ingredients with hand blender until smooth.
2. Put in crepes. Fold to enclose (you can be fancy and fold the sides in, or just roll up like a log).
3. Bake, covered, in oven 350F for 20-30 minutes, until filling is set. Or alternatively, microwave for ~10 minutes on medium-high heat until filling is set.

Topping

2 cups blueberries (or any berry)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sugar

1. Mix together over low heat.

[Velda Mae]

If you can make crepes, you can make blintz skins. My recipe for the skins is just flour, salt and water. As for the filling, I use a mixture of farmers cheese, cream cheese, egg and sugar. I believe lots of people use cottage cheese, which can be easier to find than farmers cheese. I fold mine so they look like little squares, though lots of people roll them like spring rolls. At this point you can store them "as is" or cook them in butter until they're crispy. Blintzes freeze very well. To answer your last question, I've only ever seen sweet blintzes.

[itryalot]

So, you fill and roll and then store them? When you add fruit or other sweet stuff, is it as a topping, or on the inside?

[Velda Mae]

Yes, I fill and roll and then store them. I've never added fruit to the filling, though I believe it's done frequently. I have made a blueberry sauce to serve with them, though my favorite topping is cinnamon sugar and sour cream. The tangy sour cream goes well with the lightly sweetened filling.

[HillJ]

We use leftover mashed potatoes for potato blintzes quite often. They make for a nice savory version.

[HillJ]

Velda Mae, do you recommend straining the liquid from the cottage cheese before using it as a filling if the dryer farmers cheese is unavailable?

[Velda Mae]

I've never used cottage cheese but the King Arthur Baker's Companion does suggest draining it. Ricotta cheese could be another option.

Correction - I checked my batter recipe and it has eggs, flour, salt and water.