By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus at least 2 to 3 hours’ rising
- Rating
- 4(117)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The holidays present a number of opportunities to splurge, and New Year’s Eve is the ultimate night for it. Though it may seem a cliché, the classic combination of blini and caviar is the perfect example — indulgent, elegant and delectable to the extreme. If you are hosting a small crowd for drinks (preferably Champagne or vodka with these), it’s all you need to serve, though it also can be a sit-down first course. Preparation is simple: the blini are topped with a dab of crème fraîche, a spoonful of caviar and a drizzle of butter.
Featured in: Before the Clock Strikes 12, a Time to Indulge
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Ingredients
Yield:About 60 3-inch blini, 10 to 12 servings
- 1package dry active yeast
- 1teaspoon sugar
- 3cups slightly warm milk
- 1cup all-purpose flour
- 1cup buckwheat flour
- ½teaspoon salt
- 2tablespoons melted butter
- 4eggs, separated
- 6ounces crème fraîche
- ¼pound (1 stick) melted butter, kept warm
- At least 125 grams caviar or trout roe
- 2tablespoons finely cut chives
For the Blini
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
267 calories; 17 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 164 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup milk. Stir in ½ cup all-purpose flour and let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Step
2
Combine remaining all-purpose flour, the buckwheat flour and salt. Add 2 cups milk to the yeast mixture and gradually whisk in flour-salt mixture until you have a smooth, thick batter. Whisk in melted butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature and let batter slowly double in size, about 2 to 3 hours. (The batter may remain at room temperature even longer if necessary.) You may also mix batter and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
Step
3
When you are ready to cook blini, stir down batter, which will have become quite frothy. Beat egg yolks and whisk into batter. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
Step
4
Spoon batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle, using a large soup spoon to make blini that are 3 inches in diameter. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bottom is well browned. Flip and cook 1 minute more. (Wait until surface is covered in bubbles before flipping.) Keep warm in a low oven. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of butter, a generous spoonful of caviar and a sprinkling of chives.
Ratings
4
out of 5
117
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Cooking Notes
Barbara Wheeler
Two cups of flour and three cups of milk does not make a thick batter. Checking other recipes, I added an additional cup of flour (actually half a cup, since I was making half this recipe). The resulting batter was perfect and made the predicted number of 3-inch blinis and they were addictively delicious.
Vasily
Lox, herring, sprats chopped onion, crumbled hardboiled eggs are great additions. I prefer sour cream to creme fraiche. I have altered this recipe slightly by changing the proportion of buckwheat flour and regular flour. By using a mix that is made up of 1 1/3 cups regular flour and 2/3 of a cup of buckwheat you get a "lighter" blini. Iced vodka shots are a must.
sck
Better than ones from Russian cookbook! Recipe makes a ton, so halve next time. Soup spoon works well for adding batter to skillet.
Jonathan
I chose this recipe because of Barbara's note. I like a thinnish blini that I can roll up like they used to serve at The Russian Tea Room. So I used this recipe and added one less egg because I wanted less stiff blinis. Came out like I wanted ... a little crepey but still clearly a pancake.
Dawn
I made these links for the first time today and had no problem with the consistency of the batter. The recipe produced an easily pourable batter - I used an 1/8 cup measuring cup. I did beat the egg whites to a stiff point as you would for a souffle and carefully folded in. They were perfect!
Caroline Robertson
If you don't want to add further flour, use some mashed potato (without butter added to it) which will thicken it splendidly and add greater depth to the flavour. If making a large quantity, I also add a good dash of black beer.
DrKanner
I agree with Barbara Wheeler. The batter as prescribed was too loose and the blinis wouldn't cook through. I added moderately more buckwheat flower to the mix and then they were excellent. While I didn't exactly measure how much flour I added, I suspect her recommendation of 1 cup flour per 1 cup milk is about right. I also agree with Vasily on the importance of the iced vodka.
Barbara Wheeler
Two cups of flour and three cups of milk does not make a thick batter. Checking other recipes, I added an additional cup of flour (actually half a cup, since I was making half this recipe). The resulting batter was perfect and made the predicted number of 3-inch blinis and they were addictively delicious.
Gary Yngve
I made the recipe as-is, and though the batter might not have been subjectively thick, the blinis were delicious and had great texture.
Vasily
Lox, herring, sprats chopped onion, crumbled hardboiled eggs are great additions. I prefer sour cream to creme fraiche. I have altered this recipe slightly by changing the proportion of buckwheat flour and regular flour. By using a mix that is made up of 1 1/3 cups regular flour and 2/3 of a cup of buckwheat you get a "lighter" blini. Iced vodka shots are a must.
Debbie
can I substitute gluten free flour?
TriciaPDX
Buckwheat is gluten free. It's not related to wheat at all.
Krystyna
yes. use Pamela's gluten free flour mix
S. Parker
Tricia, Buckwheat is gluten free, but AP is not.
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