Russian - Blini

ultra thin Crepes + toppING GALORE Russian - Blini

Blinis just might be one of the most celebrated and even revered treats that we have had the pleasure of exploring. These thin, crêpe-like delights have an almost mythical history, and each year Russia devotes an entire week to eating blinis. What is it about these heavenly hotcakes that has captivated a nation and inspired a weeklong celebration? Follow along, and you’ll soon see! 10 minutes PREP TIME INGREDIENTS 15 minutes COOK TIME • ¼ cup buckwheat flour Savory Topping (Optional - Your Choice) • ¾ cup chickpea flour • ½ cup cream cheese or ricotta cheese • 1 teaspoon dry active yeast • 4 oz smoked salmon • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar • 4 oz salmon roe or caviar (optional, but nice • 2 tablespoons warm water (100-110 degrees and fancy) Fahrenheit) • Handful of fresh dill or fresh chives, finely • 1 whole egg chopped • 1½ cups lukewarm milk (preferably fuller fat) Sweet Topping (Optional - Your Choice) • 1 teaspoon sea salt • ½ cup greek yogurt • 1 tablespoon butter (for greasing pan) • ¼ cup blueberry jam • ¼ cup fresh raspberries • 1-2 teaspoons of fresh honey for drizzling

TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES

SERVES: 6 BLINIS

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: EASY

1. RUSSIAN - BLINIS You can find out more about Russian cuisine, its history and the Blini recipe (including more pictures) by clicking here.

Stage 1: Create Batter for Blinis

1. Start by whisking and dissolving your coconut sugar into your warm water in a small bowl. With the sugar dissolved, add in your yeast and gently mix in. You’ll let the yeast sit for at least 5 minutes while it activates

2. In a mixing bowl, combine your buckwheat flour, chickpea flour and sea salt. Mix well

3. Bit by bit, add in your milk and mix well into the flour. What should result is a fairly runny batter that drips easily off a spoon if you dip it in

4. Add in your egg and mix well into the batter as well

5. By this time, the yeast has activated and has started to foam. Take this small bowl with the “yeast water” and pour into your batter and mix well

2. RUSSIAN - BLINIS Stage 2: Make Your Blinis

1. Take a small pan (ideally 4-5 inch diameter on the bottom) over medium-high heat. Let the pan sit over the heat for at least a minute as it starts to get nice and hot

2. With a nicely hot pan, take a tiny piece of your butter and let it melt over the entire surface area of your pan

3. Once the butter has melted, take the pan by the handle and tilt it towards you so that one side is higher than the other

4. Ladle a small bit of your batter (~2 tablespoons… ¼ cup of batter at most) to the top of the pan

5. As the batter drips down to the side of the pan, rotate the pan around to evenly distribute the batter around the entire surface area of the pan

6. With your batter thinly and evenly distributed around the pan, let the blini cook for ~1-1.5 minutes. The key indicator of when it’s time to flip is when the top edges of the blinis start to brown. Don’t flip until you start to see these browning edges

7. Flip your blini, and cook for another 1-1.5 minutes, then take the blini out of the pan and onto a plate

8. Repeat until you’ve made blinis from all your batter

9. To serve your blinis, either fold the blini into quarters and layer toppings on top, or layer the toppings within the blini and rolling it up. However you choose, enjoy!

3. RUSSIAN - BLINIS Stage 2 (continued): Make Your Blinis

7. Flip your blini, and cook for another 1-1.5 minutes, then take the blini out of the pan and onto a plate

8. Repeat until you’ve made blinis from all your batter

9. To serve your blinis, either fold the blini into quarters and layer toppings on top, or layer the toppings within the blini and rolling it up. However you choose, enjoy!

4. RUSSIAN - BLINIS Bon Appétit!

5. Arousing Appetites RUSSIAN - BLINIS CLEAN. AUTHENTIC.arousingappetites.com INTERNATIONAL. HOME COOKING.