Hanukkah may be the festival of lights, but these delicious ricotta cheese blintzes are anything but. Any Jewish kid can tell you about the original olive oil that miraculously fueled the eternal flame at the temple in Jerusalem – trust me, these ‘lil guys will fuel you for just as long! So ditch Usdan brunch one morning this weekend (that pesto omelet will still be there next time…pinkie swear). Holidays are about togetherness, and this recipe feeds four and takes teamwork; you’ll want a blintz-buddy to fill and fold as each pancake is finished.

These blintzes are from Chef Robin Leventhal of Seattle bistro Crave. And while they may not be my mother’s blintzes, just look at that last name – they’re legit.

Ingredients for the sweet cheese filling:

1 tub ricotta (it’s by the milk in Weshop)

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (and some grated zest if you’re a lemon fiend)

Ingredients for the crepes:

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons milk

6 tablespoons water

3/4 cup flour (Bob’s Red Mill is sold at Weshop, organic and unbleached)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon canola oil, plus a ‘lil more for greasing the skillet

2 tablespoons butter, divided

To serve:

Applesauce/sour cream/apricot jam

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Now, make the filling first so when the crepes start coming out the skillet, your blintz assembly line is ready to go. Mix together the ricotta, egg yolks, flour, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl and give it a stir. Set aside.

2. For the crepes: in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and water. Add the flour gradually, then sugar, vanilla, salt, and oil. Now, in the words of MJ, “It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or who’s right, just beat it, beat it.” Oil a non-stick skillet and heat on the stove. If it starts smoking, you’re doing it wrong.

3. Ladle ¼ cup of batter into the skillet and tilt so it covers the bottom of the skillet. Next step: fry. It’s done when little teensy air bubbles form and the top is set. The underside should be golden brown. Take a knife and loosen around the edges of the crepe, sliding it out of the skillet onto a plate. Grease and repeat.

4. As you’re frying the crepes, your blintz-buddy should turn each crepe so the golden-brown side is up and scoop three tablespoons of filling into the middle, in an uber-precise 3-inch-long by 2-inch-wide mound according to Crave’s recipe. (If you don’t get those cheesy dimensions just right, you’re screwed). Now stop – origami time! Use the burrito technique: roll once to cover filling, fold the sides into the middle, and keep rolling until completely closed. Just like a burrito, you’ll be tempted to overstuff. Don’t.

5. Second to last step! Over medium heat, melt one of your tablespoons of butter and add half the blintzes. Fry ‘til they’re golden-brown—about two minutes—and then flip to fry the other side. Place on a greased baking sheet. Do the same thing with the other guys and stick them all in the oven. Bake for about five to 10 minutes and…..

6. FINAL STEP….NOM with apple sauce and/or sour cream! My favorite topping is apricot jam. If brunch looks weirdly empty this weekend, I hope it’s cuz y’all are making blintzes, whether you celebrate Hanukkah or not!