Orange Berry Blitz Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg whites and milk. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 1/4 cup batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., For filling, in a small bowl, beat ricotta and cream until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup sour cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon wheat germ and vanilla until blended. Spoon about 1/4 cup onto each blintze; fold ends and sides over filling., Arrange blintzes folded side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; brush with melted butter. Cover and bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Top each blintze with berries and dollop of remaining sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining wheat germ.

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, salt, and flour in a small bowl. Combine milk and yogurt in a separate bowl. Stir in olive oil and mix until smooth. Beat 4 eggs in a large bowl, then add orange juice. Stir in the yogurt mixture followed by the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Allow batter to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Beat 1 egg with 3 tablespoons of sugar, then add butter and cottage cheese, mixing until smooth. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Refrigerate until the batter is ready.
• Lightly butter a 6 inch skillet, and heat over medium heat. For each crepe, pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, and immediately rotate the skillet until the batter evenly coats the bottom in a thin layer. Cook until the top of the crepe is no longer wet and the bottom has turned light brown. Run a spatula around the edge of the skillet to loosen; flip the crepe, and cook until the other side has turned light brown. Stack the crepes in a clean kitchen towel, placing waxed paper between each.
• Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the golden side of the crepe. Roll the crepe up and repeat until all the blintzes are made. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and fry 4 to 5 blintzes at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two round 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Grease the paper, then lightly flour the pans.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
• Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or electric beaters, beat 1/2 cup softened butter and sugar until fluffy and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating, until well combined. Add half the cake flour mixture, then half the milk to the butter mixture, beating until smooth. Repeat with remaining flour mixture and milk, then beat in vanilla and nutmeg. Scrape batter evenly into prepared pans and smooth the tops.
• To make meringue topping, whip egg whites with cream of tartar and salt in an electric mixer until cloudlike and very foamy. Continue whipping while adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Whip until meringue is smooth and glossy, and stiff peaks form.
• Cover cake batter with meringue, dividing it evenly between pans. Swirl the tops, and sprinkle with pecans. Bake until meringue is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center all the way down to the cake emerges clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer pan to a wire rack. Cool for 30 minutes; turn cake out of pan and place on rack right-side up. Let cakes cool completely.
• To assemble, whip the cream with as much of the sugar as you like, and vanilla. Place one cake layer on a serving plate with the meringue side down. Spoon whipped cream on top, then cover with berries. Place second cake layer on top of whipped cream with meringue side up. Serve cake as soon as possible after filling, preferably within 3 hours, and use a serrated knife to cut.

Steps:

• If Italian soda is hard to find in your neck of the woods, substitute with orange and grapefruit juice with the addition of either Pellegrino or seltzer.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter two 9-by-2-inch round baking pans. Dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
• Make the cake: Place butter, sugar, salt, and egg yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour, buttermilk, vanilla, and baking powder, until well blended.
• Divide batter between prepared pans (the batter will barely cover the bottom of the pans).
• Make the meringue topping: In a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. While continuing to whisk, gradually add 1 cup sugar and whisk until meringue is smooth, glossy, and somewhat stiff, but not holding a stiff peak.
• Spread the meringue on top of the cake batter, and sprinkle evenly with almonds, cinnamon, and remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake cakes until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife or offset spatula, gently remove cakes from pans, and return the rack to cool completely. If some of the almonds fall off during this process, sprinkle them back on top.
• Make the filling: Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk together milk, orange juice, and egg yolks in a glass measuring cup. Add milk mixture to the saucepan, along with butter. Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Continue to cook until it comes to a boil. Let boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
• Strain pastry cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in orange zest and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Just before using, whisk until smooth.
• Place one of the cake layers, meringue-side up, on a serving plate. Spread with pastry cream. Top with second cake layer, meringue-side up. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving, up to 3 hours.