Buckwheat Ricotta Blintzes with Figgy Relish

Buckwheat Crepes

• 1 1/2 cup buckwheat pancake mix (I use Hodgson Mill)
• 2 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 3/4 cups milk

1. In a blender, combine pancake mix, egg, oil and milk. Blend until mixed and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in a 10 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in 1/3 cup of batter, swirl pan, and let cook for 4 minutes. You’ll know when its time to flip when the flaky bits on the very edge of the pan where the batter just barely covered the pan start to lift up and peel away – this is what you can grab with your fingers for flipping. Gently pick up the crepe, flip over, and cook for 1 more minute. Set aside. If crepes start to stick to the pan as you go on, add a little pencil eraser size piece of butter and smush it around the pan with a rubber spatula. - Filling and Relish

Filling and Relish

• 1 1/2 cup ricotta
• 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 8 dried calmyrna figs, cut into eighths
• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1. In a small covered saucepan, gently simmer the figs, orange juice, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and thyme for 20 minutes.
2. While figs are cooking, mix ricotta, 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.
3. Lay one crepe on a work surface. Place two tablespoons of ricotta filling in a long rectangle shape in the middle of the crepe. Fold top and bottom over, then fold sides in. Do this with all crepes, and set them aside.
4. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. In batches, add blintzes and cook about 2 or 3 minutes on each side, until a little brown and warm, adding more butter if necessary.
5. While blintzes are frying, add honey to fig pan, bring to a boil and boil until starts to get very bubbly. Turn off heat and stir in walnuts. Serve blintzes with a little bit of fig relish on top.