Blintzes with Roasted Plums and Hazelnuts

Enjoy this special treat just in time for peak season plums – a recipe straight from the most recent cookbook from Abra Berens, Pulp.  

Abra has graciously shared this recipe as an expert from Pulp and we hope you enjoy this recipe and the entire fruit forward cookbook as much as we did!

This is one of my favorite desserts not only because I love a tender crepe filled with sweet ricotta balanced by tart, cooked plums and the crunch of slightly bitter hazelnuts, but also because it can be made well in advance and reheated at the last minute for maximum ease.

4 oz [115 g] ricotta

1 egg

1 Tbsp sugar

Zest of 1 orange

4 Crepes (see below)

1 lb [455 g] plums, halved and pits removed

Coarse salt ½ cup [60 g] hazelnuts, toasted, skins half removed, and roughly chopped

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, sugar, and zest and stir to mix thoroughly.

Lay out the crepes and divide the ricotta mixture evenly among them, placing the ricotta in the center of each crepe. Fold the right and left sides of the crepe toward the center, then bring the bottom of the crepe (where the filling is) toward the top, making a little parcel. Place the crepes in a baking dish.

Turn on the broiler.

In a large, ovenproof pan, arrange the plums cut-side up and sprinkle with a hefty pinch of sugar. Broil the plums until they’ve taken on some color and started to soften, 4 minutes, but keep a sharp eye on them. Place the crepes in the oven on the lower shelf to warm while the plums broil.

To serve, place a warmed crepe on a plate, and then top with several broiled plums, a pinch of coarse salt, and a scattering of chopped hazelnuts.

crepe batter

My favorite task in the Zingerman’s Deli kitchen was making crepes. It always happened toward the end of the shift and we made what seemed like a hundred at a time. Muscle memory is the key to a lot of skills in kitchens, and the best way to develop muscle memory is certainly to make things a hundred at a time. It takes a little while to get the temperature of the pan right—not too hot but hot enough to get a nice sizzle—but the “mistake” crepes can be eaten gleefully, slathered in butter and sprinkled with sugar. Not that I ever did that while on the clock. Nope. Never.

MAKES 14 CREPES

1¾ cups [420 ml] whole milk

2 Tbsp butter, melted

3 eggs

1 cup [140 g] all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

In a blender, combine the milk, butter, eggs, flour, and salt. Blend until well combined. Rest the batter for a minimum of 1 hour.

Before starting to cook the crepes, line a baking sheet with parchment paper for a landing pad as the crepes come out of the pan. Have a few more pieces of parchment nearby so you can stack the crepes up with parchment between the layers to prevent sticking. Heat a small frying pan (or two if you are up for it) over medium heat until warm. Ladle about 1 oz [30 ml] of batter into the pan. Swirl it around to evenly coat the pan, return the pan to the heat, and decrease the heat to medium-low. Cook until the crepe is dry in the center, about 1 minute. Using a small butter knife or spatula, lift the crepe and flip it to lightly cook the other side, about 10 seconds. Slide the crepe to the lined tray. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.

Crepes can be layered between sheets of parchment or wax paper, then wrapped and frozen for storage for up to 2 months.

Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens, © 2023. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © EE Berger.