Innside New Jersey

EAT INN: Have a sweet Spring by making Strawberry Cheese Blintzes and Cheesecake French Toast with Fruit Sauce.

Strawberry Cheese Blintzes

Strawberry Cheese Blintzes from the GrandLady by the Sea in Highlands, deliver the sweet taste of Spring no matter the time of year!

Crepes:

To make the Crepes: In a large bowl or a blender, beat together the flour, eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla.

Coat a 6-inch nonstick pan with nonstick cooking spray. Heat on medium until smoke just begins to appear. Holding the pan with one hand, ladle a small amount of batter into the center of the pan while tilting to evenly coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of batter. If the batter seems runny, add more flour; if it’s too thick, add more milk.

When the edge of the crepe begins to brown and the middle is dry, invert the pan and, with the help of a spatula, extract the crepe. Cook one side only. Repeat with remaining batter.

To make the Filling: In a large bowl, using a fork, mix together the cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla, and strawberries.

To make the Blintz: Lay one crepe cooked-side up. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling in the shape of a cylinder near the edge of the crepe. Take the edge closest to the filling and fold it over the filling. Tuck in the sides, roll up the crepe, and place it seam-side down on a plate. Refrigerate. At this point, the blintzes can be frozen in an airtight container. Bring them to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.

Just before serving, panfry the blintzes in butter on both sides until golden brown. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh strawberries, and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar.

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Cheesecake French Toast

The Cheesecake French Toast with Fruit Sauce from The Victoria on Main in Toms River, gives original French Toast a fruity Spring flavor with another sugary twist.

To save time, prepare the sausage and cheese the day before and refrigerate them. In the morning, everything is ready to bake. You can also assemble the whole dish the night before with excellent results.

Cheesecake Batter:

Fruit Sauce:

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

To make the Cheesecake batter: In a food processor outfitted with the metal blade, process the cream cheese and sugar to a creamy consistency. With the machine running, add the eggs and the egg yolk, one at a time, until blended. Add the vanilla, and pulse to blend. Remove the top from the processor, scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the cream, replace the top, and pulse the mixture to blend. (Do not overbeat once the cream is added). Reserve the batter at room temperature.

To make the French Toast: In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil until the butter browns slightly. Dip the bread slices in the milk mixture and fry on both sides until browned. Set aside.

To assemble the dish: Layer a 12 by 9-inch baking pan with 5 slices of French Toast. Cut one slice in half to completely cover the bottom of the pan.  There will be gaps between the slices.

Pour the Cheesecake Batter into the pan. Lay the remaining 4 slices of French Toast on top. Push down the French Toast if it begins to float. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Set the baking pan in a water bath, and cook for 60 to 70 minutes or until set. Remove from water bath, remove a corner of the foil to allow steam to escape. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving with the Fruit Sauce.

To make the Fruit Sauce: In a food processor, process raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe, sugar, and water until blended. Refrigerate until serving time. Serve chilled or slightly warm.