BUCKWHEAT BLINI
served with caviar, smoked salmon, gravlax, or whatever else comes to mind
About the Recipe
December is HOLIDAY MONTH and I find there is nothing more festive than Buckwheat Blini. They are very easy to prepare — no harder than making pancakes for your kids — but for some reason the idea of making them intimidates many. They used to intimidate me as well, primarily because I believed I had to fry them up last minute while guests were arriving and there was so much else to do.
It turns out that BLINI are quite fine (ABSOLUTELY) made ahead and frozen or refrigerated until needed. My rule of thumb is refrigerate the finished blini for up to 48 hours, and for longer freeze.
Heat as needed — straight from the fridge or freezer on a parchment-lined 300F baking sheet. Cook until piping hot, about 10 minutes for frozen, about 5 minutes for refrigerated. At that point, try to serve right away.
BUCKWHEAT BLINI
Makes approx. 20-30 small blini, serving 4-6 as a first course or more as part of an hors d’oeuvres group.
*Recipe can be scaled up or down
INGREDIENTS
For the blini:
*Have all ingredients at room temperature
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup whole milk — you will probably need more to get the correct consistency but start with the 1 3/4 cup
2 extra-large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
14 tablespoons, unsalted butter or as needed for the pan. If you use a nonstick pan as I do, way less butter will be needed. Probably none after the first few blini.
Accompaniments:
1 pound, or more if desired, smoked salmon, gravlax, sturgeon, sable, or whitefish thinly sliced, smoked clams, smoked oysters and/ or caviar of choice. You can also experiment with hot soft-cooked scrambled eggs or even better - and if you have the energy - a variety of toppings to choose from
Approximately 2/3 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
Fresh dill sprigs and lemon wedges, to garnish
Method
Sift both flours, baking powder, and salt together into a bowl
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and the 2 tablespoons melted butter, then whisk the liquids into the flour mixture. Let this mixture rest at room temperature for at least an hour (and up to 3 hours) before using. If you are not going to make the blini within 3 hours, refrigerate or freeze the batter and bring back to room temperature before continuing.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large heavy skillet—nonstick if possible
Drop the batter into the hot skillet, 1-3 tablespoons (depending on size desired and use) at a time
Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form on the top side of the blini, about 2 minutes.
Flip and cook for 1 more minute, or until brown and cooked through.
Repeat with the remaining batter. Wipe the hot pan with a paper towel between batches and add more butter as needed. If using a nonstick pan, you probably won't need more butter.
Place 4 or 5 plates in a 150 degree oven. As pancakes are ready, transfer them to a baking sheet lined with a tea towel or parchment paper and keep them warm in the oven while preparing the rest.
To serve, spread each warm blini with dollop of creme fraiche, top with a piece of smoked fish or some caviar. Garnish with a sprig of dill and a lemon wedge. Alternatively, pass everything separately and let guests help themselves.
Notes:
Batter can be made up to 3-4 days ahead of time and refrigerated. It can also be frozen for 3 months or more. Bring to room temperature before cooking, and you may have to thin with a bit more milk. Blini batter should be about the consistency of heavy cream.
The cooked blini can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Cook them in batches and cool completely before laying them on a cooking sheet in a single layer and placing in the freezer. Once frozen hard, pack in Tupperware (or similar) and freeze. To use, preheat oven to 300 and cook, in a single layer on a baking sheet, for about 10 minutes until very hot. If you wish, you can heat the frozen blini in batches in batches so there will always be hot blini.