Homemade Blinis

To make your blinis, sift 50g of buckwheat flour and 180g of plain white flour into a large mixing bowl (if you can’t get buckwheat flour, just use more plain). Add a generous pinch of salt and stir in a 7g sachet of dried yeast. Next, pour 220ml of milk into a pan and add 200g of crème fraiche, then place over a gentle heat. When this mixture is just warm, carefully separate the eggs; add the yolks to the pan and set aside the whites for later. Whisk the yolks into the milk pan, then make a well in the centre of the flour bowl and slowly pour in the contents of the pan, whisking until well combined. Cover the mixing bowl with clingfilm or a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for an hour to rise. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them gently through the blini mix, cover the bowl again and leave for another hour (you can use this time to prep any toppings, if you like). When you’re ready to cook the blinis, melt a small knob of butter in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, then add the batter to the pan one small spoonful at a time – use a teaspoon for smaller pancakes, or a dessert spoon for larger ones. Cook for a few minutes until you can see bubbles rising up through the blinis, then flip them over and cook for another couple of minutes, until golden brown. Keep adding spoonfuls to the pan (you will need to add more butter from time to time) until all the batter is used up. Let the cooked blinis cool on a rack before adding any toppings, so that the toppings don’t melt and slide off before you can eat them!

Serving Suggestions

Once your blinis are ready, it’s time to choose the toppings. There are no ‘rules’ – if it tastes great and looks tempting, you’re on to a winner! Just choose whatever you fancy, remembering that the blini toppings need to be firm enough to stay put for the time it takes for diners to lift the pancakes from the plate to their mouths…

The classic Russian blini topping is caviar (fish roe), and seafood is a really delicious partner for these little pancakes. Simple but effective ideas include a tiny dollop of sour cream or cream cheese topped with chopped smoked salmon; cooked shrimp; or a tiny spoonful of cooked dressed crab or lobster, all finished with snipped chives or parsley. For a great-looking (and non-fishy) take on the classic caviar topping, scatter a few seaweed pearls over the sour cream. If you’re feeling fancy, why not give our Crab & Crayfish Blinis recipe a whirl.

Meat lovers may like to add a little of their favourite pâté to each pancake (chicken liver is especially good) and top it with rocket leaves or finely-sliced pickles; horseradish sauce with a little roast beef is a can’t-go-wrong combo, and charcuterie can also provide several tasty options, including little slices of serrano ham with a garlicky mayo, finished with a an olive slice or two. Vegetarian topping ideas are endless, too – try mashing cooked peas with feta and a little yoghurt, then place a tiny spoonful on each blini, finishing with a little chopped fresh mint, finely-sliced spring onion or a pea shoot. Cooked puy lentils have a definite caviar-ish look, and taste great mixed with finely chopped sundried tomatoes or roast red peppers – just add a blob of sour cream or goats cheese to each blini, then top with your lentil mix and scatter a few slivers of roast almonds over the top.

For sweet topping ideas, you can really use your imagination – and there’s no reason why you can’t just scale-up your favourite Pancake Day toppings, if you like. A blob of thick, Greek yoghurt makes a great base for golden-hued, honey-poached apricots or figs, topped with crushed toasted pistachios; you could drizzle home-made or shop-bought caramel topping over cream cheese and top with shaved chocolate; or just keep it simple with a few berries or thin slices of fresh fruit piled on thick cream or yoghurt, dusted generously with icing sugar.