In a large bowl, mix together cheese, melted butter, 1 egg yolk, vanilla, and sugar until well incorporated. To assemble, place one blintz on a work surface and place 1 to 2 tablespoons of filling in a line close to the edge nearest to you. Fold envelope-style and roll up. Continue with remaining blintzes and filling.
Cheese blintzes are the Ashkenazic Jewish equivalent of sweet, filled crepes. The outside pancake is slightly thicker than a crepe. Folding the pancake around a sweet cheese filling, we gently fry them until golden on the outside and warm on the inside. I like to serve cheese blintzes with fruit, either fresh or in a compote, and sour cream.
Cheese blintzes are traditional for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Growing up, my family didn’t celebrate Shavuot and I certainly did not know what foods it was customary to eat on that holiday. But I always loved cheese blintzes.
While my favorite type of blintz is the classic rich cheese-filled one, there are also savory alternatives, such as chicken or salmon and mushroom blintzes, and even a cheese and spinach option. For this recipe, however, I learnt to cook the time-honored recipe of the cheese blintz.