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Nalesniki with Cheese and Pineapple

Pineapple here is sweet and tart; a perfect complement to the cheese filling in these nalesniki. Enjoy nalesniki topped with sour cream or favorite jam.

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Remember these? Some people refer to them as Russian crepes or cheese blintzes. If you’ve made a batch of these with cheese and raisins, you are already a pro! Instead of the raisins, I’m using pineapple which is sweet and tart; a perfect complement to the cheese filling.

The pineapple was my Mama’s idea. She brought a batch of these to a church potluck and the nalesniki were a hit! Enjoy these topped with sour cream or your favorite jam.

Watch How To Make Nalesniki:

Ingredients for crepes:

½ cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
4 large eggs
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted. Plus more to sauté.
1 cup all-purpose flour (you can use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose)
2 Tbsp sugar
Pinch of Salt

Ingredients for cheese filling:

8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
16 oz small curd cottage cheese
4 Tbsp sugar
1 can (15 or 20 oz) coarsely chopped pineapple chunks, well-drained

How to Make Nalesniki with Cheese and Pineapple:

1. Put all of the ingredients for the crepes (in the order that they are listed) in a blender and blend until well combined.

2. Melt a dot of butter in 2 non-stick skillets over medium heat. (2 skillets make the process go faster).

3. Pour about 2 to 3 Tbsp of batter into the skillet. I use a 1-ounce measuring cup.

A mixture is poured into a one-ounce measuring cup

4. As you are pouring into the skillet, swirl the batter to evenly coat the bottom. If you get any small gaps, you can fill them with a few drops of batter.

5. Once the bottom is lightly golden, flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe.

A crepe, nalesnik, on a skillet

Let the other side get lightly golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board.

Repeat with all of the batter, using a dot of butter each time if needed. Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just luke-warm or room temp, they can be stacked.

Don’t panic, the first (and sometimes the second) crepe in the pan never turns out nice!

How to make Cheese & pineapple filling and complete Blinchiki:

1. In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and DRAIN WELL. I just let it sit in the colander for 15 minutes and shake it out. Pressing it through a cheese cloth also works well.

2. Mash the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sugar with a potato masher until well combined and creamy. Cottage cheese will still be a little lumpy.

3. Stir in the well-drained bits of pineapple.

A crepe being filled with cheese and pineapple on a wooden cutting board

4. Using a spatula, spread 2 generous Tbsp of cheese filling on each crepe.

5. Roll the crepe (nalesniki)  into a log and cut in half.

A crepe with filling rolled and cut in half on a cutting board

6. Refrigerate crepes that aren’t being served. It keeps in the fridge for almost one week.

To Serve:

Melt about 1 Tbsp of butter in a skillet and sauté the rolled cheese crepes on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. They don’t take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.
Serve with sour cream or jam on the side.

Nalesniki with Cheese and Pineapple (налесники)

5 from 6 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 6 -8

Ingredients for crepes:

  • ½ cup lukewarm water
  • 1 cup milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted. Plus more to sauté.
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 pinch salt

Ingredients for cheese filling:

  • 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
  • 4 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 can, 15 or 20 oz coarsely chopped pineapple chunks, well-drained

Instructions

  • Put ½ cup lukewarm water, 1 cup milk, 4 large eggs, 4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter, 1 cup all-purpose flour , 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 pinch of salt in a blender and blend until well combined.
  • Melt a dot of butter in 2 non-stick skillets over medium heat. (2 skillets make the process go faster).
  • Pour about 2 to 3 Tbsp of batter into the skillet. I use a 1-ounce measuring cup.
  • As you are pouring into the skillet, swirl the batter to evenly coat the bottom. If you get any small gaps, you can fill them with a few drops of batter.
  • Once the bottom is lightly golden, flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe.
  • Let the other side get lightly golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board.
  • Repeat with all of the batter, using a dot of butter each time if needed. Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just luke-warm or room temp, they can be stacked.

How to make Cheese & pineapple filling and complete Blinchiki:

  • In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and DRAIN WELL. I just let it sit in the colander for 15 minutes and shake it out.
  • Mash the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sugar with a potato masher until well combined and creamy. Cottage cheese will still be a little lumpy.
  • Stir in the well-drained bits of pinneaple.
  • Using a spatula, spread 2 generous tablespoons of cheese filling on each crepe.
  • Roll the crepe (nalesniki) into a log and cut in half.
  • Refrigerate crepes that aren’t being served. It keeps in the fridge for almost one week.

To Serve:

  • Melt about 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet and sauté the rolled cheese crepes on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. They don’t take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them.

Serve with sour cream or jam on the side.

    Skill Level: Easy/Medium
    Cost to Make: $
    Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

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    Pineapple here is sweet and tart; a perfect complement to the cheese filling in these nalesniki. Enjoy nalesniki topped with sour cream or favorite jam.

    Natasha Kravchuk

    Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the creator behind Natasha's Kitchen (established in 2009), and I share family-friendly, authentic recipes. I am a New York Times Best-Selling cookbook author and a trusted video personality in the culinary world. My husband, Vadim, and I run this blog together, ensuring every recipe we share is thoroughly tested and approved. Our mission is to provide you with delicious, reliable recipes you can count on. Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy you are here.

    Read more posts by Natasha

    5 from 6 votes

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    Comments

    • Marina
      July 26, 2019

      I always use Natasha’s crepe recipe, put all ingredients in a blender and mix! They come out thin, delicious, and perfect every time! (Natasha your recipes never fail me, thank you so much. Please have an app come out, I’ll be the first to purchase it.)

      Reply

      • Natashas Kitchen
        July 26, 2019

        I’m so happy to hear that, Marina! Thank you for sharing your great review!

        Reply

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