Wednesday

baby pancakes


i've always been partial to fancy bite-sized appetizers that go well with a nice glass of champagne. blinis are traditional Russian buckwheat pancakes and great with caviar - lucky for me and my pocketbook though, i don't love caviar. but i DO love baby pancakes and the endless number of tasty toppings you can think of! a great snack to bring to a wine tasting party, an easy way to impress friends for the start of a dinner party or a fun kid-sized treat, blinis can go sweet or savory depending on your mood. here's a basic blini recipe and two quick toppings to get your imagination going!

Sweet or Savory Blini
makes approx. 16

6 tbs buckwheat flour
6 tbs all purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs, separated
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking
optional: herbed goat cheese & soppresatta or lingonberry jam & creme fraiche
in a bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, baking soda and salt. add milk, egg yolks, lemon zest and cooled butter and whisk until smooth. in a separate bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. fold  egg whites, 1/2 at a time, into batter until incorporated.
heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and melt 1 tbs butter. cook 1 tbs of batter until little bubbles begin to form on top and then flip, about 1-2 minutes per side or until golden brown.

4 comments:

tara said...

When I saw the first picture, I thought "Now that is the prettiest, poshest McGriddle I ever did see."

These look wonderful, and I appreciate the sweet and savoury variations. Will try them this weekend.

The Single Gal said...

I too thought we were looking at a fabulous breakfast sandwich at first :)

Made some blinis with chickpea flour & curry spices, garnished with yogurt & cilantro, for an Indian-themed dinner party - they were a hit. Definitely going to try a sweet variation next time!

Joanna Jenkins said...

YUMMMMMMYYYY! Love these!

jen said...

oh my goodness. these look divine.