Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins – Russian Crepes

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Nalisniki (налесники), cheese blintzes, cheese crepes, blinchiki. This Russian dish has many names, but whatever it’s called, it has remained one of the most popular dishes with Vadim and I for breakfast, lunch or a late night snack.

There are many ways to make them and a variety of fillings; everything from cheese to fruit and even meat! Make a batch of these and have gourmet breakfasts! They seem intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, they are fast and easy to make.

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
1/4 cup sugar
¾ cup raisins
Powdered sugar for serving (optional)

Watch How To Make Crepes:

How to Make Crepes:

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). Pour about 2 to 3 Tablespoons 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 more batter.

3. Once the bottom is golden, flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe. Let the other side get golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board.

Repeat with all of the batter, using a dot of butter each time. Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just warm or room temp, they can be stacked.
Don’t panic, the first crepe in the pan never turns out nice!

How to make Cheese filling and complete Cheese Crepes:

1. In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and DRAIN WELL. A cheese cloth also works well. 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.

2. Using a spatula, spread 2 generous Tablespoons of cheese filling on each crepe and sprinkle with about 15 raisins.

3. Roll the crepe 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 Cheese Crepes:

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.
Dust with powered sugar (optional) and serve with sour cream or jam on the side. YUUUMMMM!

Do you put anything unusual in your Nalisniki/ Blinchiki?

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins (Russian Crepes)

4.99 from 76 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

This Nalesniki crepes recipe makes 15, 8-inch crepes. Note: replace 4 Tbsp butter with 4 Tbsp olive oil for a healthier version!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 7 people

For the Batter:

• 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 salt

For the Filling:

• 8 oz package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 16 oz small curd cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Powdered sugar for serving, optional

Instructions

How to Make the Crepes:

• Put all of the ingredients for the crepes (in the order that they are listed) 1/2 cup warm water, 1 cup milk, 4 large eggs, 4 Tbsp melted butter, 1 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar and a pinch of salt in a blender and blend until well combined.
• Melt a dot of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat (2 skillets make the process go faster).
• 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 more batter. Depending on the size of your skillet; add about 2-3 tbsp of batter. I use a small ladle.
• Once the bottom is lightly golden (about a minute or less) 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 remaining batter; you may not need to dot with butter after the first time if your skillet is a good one (and remember there is butter in the batter). Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just warm or room temp, they can be stacked. Don’t panic, my first crepe never turns out nice so I wolf it down to conceal the evidence!

How to make cheese filling and complete nalesniki:

• In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and drain well. 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.
• Using a spatula, spread 2 generous Tablespoons of cheese filling on each crepe and sprinkle with about 10-15 raisins.
• Roll the crepe 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.
• Dust with powered sugar (optional) and serve with sour cream or jam on the side.

Nutrition Per Serving

429kcal Calories44g Carbs17g Protein22g Fat12g Saturated Fat152mg Cholesterol424mg Sodium330mg Potassium2g Fiber18g Sugar832IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C135mg Calcium2mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Nalesniki with Cheese and Raisins (Russian Crepes)

Amount per Serving

Calories

429

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

22

g

34

%

Saturated Fat

 

12

g

75

%

Cholesterol

 

152

mg

51

%

Sodium

 

424

mg

18

%

Potassium

 

330

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

 

44

g

15

%

Fiber

 

2

g

8

%

Sugar

 

18

g

20

%

Protein

 

17

g

34

%

Vitamin A

 

832

IU

17

%

Vitamin C

 

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

 

135

mg

14

%

Iron

 

2

mg

11

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword: nalesniki

Skill Level: Easy/Medium

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 429