Russian blinis

Tamara West

Blinis are made with a pancake batter usually containing buckwheat or wholemeal flour and yeast. They’ve been making them in Russia for more than a thousand years. They are traditionally served with caviar and vodka, or as a popular canape topped with smoked salmon. This savoury pancake tastes rich and nutty — larger ones make the perfect finger food for blokes and can be finished off with any sort of savoury or sweet toppings. Makes 25 medium-sized blinis.

Ingredients

300 ml	Milk, warm
5 g	Active dried yeast, use instant yeast
1	Egg, separated
125 g	Plain flour
100 g	Wholemeal flour
¾ tsp	Fine salt
1 to fry	Grapeseed oil, or rice bran oil
1	Avocado
2 tsp	Lemon juice
2	Chorizo sausages, thinly sliced (Main)
½ cup	Crème fraîche

Directions

1. Pour the warm milk on to the yeast, whisk well and leave for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk in the egg yolk. Place the flours together in a separate bowl, make a well then pour in the liquids and whisk to form a smooth batter. Sprinkle over the salt and cover with cling film.
3. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until it is risen and bubbly on the surface.
4. Whisk the egg white to form firm peaks then gently fold this into the batter. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and brush with a little oil.
5. Spoon large dollops of batter into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until the tops are bubbling with small holes. Carefully flip over and cook for another minute. Brush a small amount of extra oil on the pan and continue cooking the remaining batter.
6. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, scoop out the flesh, puree with lemon juice, season with salt to taste.
7. Cook the chorizo on a medium heat in a large non- stick frying pan for 1 minute. Remove and place on paper towels
8. Spread avocado puree on to blinis, top with slices of chorizo and spoon on a dollop of creme fraiche.