By the time I rub the sleep out of my eyes and roll out of bed on the weekends, my parents already ran (Mom) or hiked (Dad) 6 miles of hills, drank a chai latte (Mom) or black coffee (Dad), drove to Target (Mom) or Home Depot (Dad), typed out 20+ work emails (both), and showered (both). All by 9 am. Although not necessarily in that order.
No, they aren’t bakers with those early morning hours (but that would explain a lot behind my recipes!). They’re just naturally the wake-up-at-4:30-and-consider-6-am-sleeping-in type of people.
You kind of get used to it after a while.
My brother and I also started out as early birds. We woke up and raced downstairs over an hour before the Saturday morning cartoons began, and we impatiently bounced off our bedroom walls while waiting for the 6 am “release time” on Christmas morning. But as teenagers, we slowly eased into the sleeping in routine, and now we much prefer a 7 or 8 am buzzing alarm on weekdays.
Which means one of the few meals we can all share is at 11 am.
Brunch. (Breakfast for my brother and me; lunch for our parents.)
While we usually pile into the car and drive across the Bay for our favorite blueberry coffee cake, we stay in town if it’s the last Sunday of the month. The local country club hosts a fancy brunch, and I never refuse an excuse to dress up!
Isn’t my brother cute?
The country club goes ALL OUT for their buffet brunches. The table starts with make-your-own-salad toppings and dressings, moves on to the shrimp and feta orzo, followed by the fresh fruit platter with melons and berries. Next comes the cheese plate and 5 types of crackers, the smoked salmon and shrimp (yes, twice), and the toasted bagels and English muffins.
And that’s just the “cold” stuff.
The table continues to the heated metal containers, holding eggs Benedict and applewood-smoked bacon, hash browns and french toast, chicken cacciatore and fresh fish, and a warm vegetable sauté. Plus the separate carving station with ham and made-to-order omelettes.
Oh, but I’m not done! They finish at desserts, which recently included lemon poppy seed muffins and old-fashioned donuts, mini fruit tarts and pecan pie, strawberry- or chocolate mousse-topped chocolate cake bites, and chocolate-dipped cream puffs.
Basically my idea of heaven.
Despite so many sweet treats—and one very enticing slightly melty dark chocolate croissant—my favorite thing of the entire buffet was a blueberry blintz. For those of you scratching your heads in confusion, a blintz is classically a crêpe wrapped around a sweet cheese filling (cream, ricotta, or farmer’s) like a tiny burrito and often topped with a fruit, caramel, or chocolate sauce.
Their creamy version, with its slightly tangy blueberry syrup, had me swooning after the first bite—and wanting to lick the plate clean after my last! But I somehow managed to refrain and instead decided to make my own lighter version at home.
Oh. My. Goodness. You guys… These blueberry blintzes are rich, creamy, sweet, and guiltlessly sinful. I didn’t think it was possible, but they’re even better than the buffet originals! By using frozen blueberries, I ensured that you can eat them all year round, and I absolutely guarantee… They’re 100% work waking up early to eat!
These are the perfect combination of sweet and tangy! You can easily prepare each of the components the night before, store them covered in the refrigerator, and simply assemble the next morning.
- To prepare the sauce, combine the blueberries, cornstarch, and water in a small pot. Gently stir with a spatula until the cornstarch dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, and boil for 3-5 minutes until a syrup begins to form. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
- To prepare the crĂŞpe batter, whisk together the egg and egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Mix in the milk, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk in the flour, and let the batter rest while preparing the filling.
- To prepare the filling, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in the yogurt and vanilla until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to assemble the blintzes.
- To cook the crêpes, generously coat an 8” pan with nonstick cooking spray. When the pan is hot, quickly add a generous ¼ cup of batter to the center, and pick up the pan to swirl the batter around to completely cover the bottom. Place the pan back down on the burner, and let it sit until the batter looks fully cooked. Loosen the edges using a spatula, flip, and continue cooking for another 20-30 seconds. Remove onto a plate, re-coat the pan with cooking spray, and repeat with the remaining batter.
- To prepare the blintzes, add ÂĽ cup of the filling to the center of each crĂŞpe in a short, squat rectangular shape. Fold the short edges over the filling first, followed by the long edges. Flip the blintz over (the seams should be touching the plate), and top with 3 tablespoons of the blueberry topping.
What can be substituted for the powdered sugar in the filling? I have Truvia cane sugar blend and liquid vanilla stevia… will either of those work, if so, how much?
I think the first option (the cane sugar blend) should be best! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these blintzes Cacey!