Black Forest Blintzes

Black Forest Blintzes

Sometimes you need a dessert- fast. This recipe works so well. It is both simple and kind of elegant.  I had some canned cherries and some bittersweet chocolate.  I also had flour tortillas, so I combined them for what I think is a pretty nice dessert. Easy to make, too. The name was inspired by Black Forest Cake, which contains both chocolate and cherries.

You could use cherry pie filling- canned or homemade. I had canned cherries- unsweetened, so I used them. I put the can of cherries in a saucepan, with the liquid from the can. I stirred in about two tablespoons of cornstarch until it dissolved. Then I put the pan on the stove and started heating them up over medium heat. I added sugar- about half a cup- and cooked it until the mixture started to thicken and get bubbly. I added a little cinnamon and a bit of fresh grated nutmeg. I also added a splash of vanilla. Stir as the mixture gets thicker, so it won’t stick. Set aside to cool down a little. If you are using pre-made cherry pie filling you can skip this whole part.

Next, I softened the tortillas in milk for about 10 minutes. This makes them more pliable- like a thick crepe. While the tortillas were softening I prepped the chocolate sauce.

I melted some semi-sweet (bittersweet) chocolate with a little half-and-half.  Two parts chocolate to one part of the half-and-half. Whipping cream would also work. Milk, too, but maybe use a little less milk, it is thinner.  I melted the chocolate and half-and-half  in the microwave for half a minute or so, then stirred until smooth.

It was time to assemble the blintzes. I put the melted chocolate in a squeeze bottle and put a nice swirl of it in the center of a softened tortilla. Then I added a couple of spoonfuls of the cherry pie filling. You’ll want about 1/4 cup of pie filling for each one. I folded up the sides a little and then folded it over- like making an egg roll, only flatter.  I repeated the process a few more times, until I had half a dozen ready to cook. Next I melted some butter in a pan and cooked them over medium heat, turning once, until golden on both sides. I put a drizzle of the chocolate on a plate, dusted the blintz with powdered sugar and placed it on top of the chocolate. Simple and kind of pretty, too.

These are so easy to make- and you can just make more, if you run out. Great for holiday parties, they are best served warm, but are good cold, too. You can also top them with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream, if you like.