Blinis are a Valentine's Day Special from Angelo Funicelli

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Blinis


I first encountered blinis in the marvelous film “Babette’s Feast,” based on a novella by Isaak Dinesen. Babette, a chef from Paris, living in a bleak town in Denmark, makes a dish called Blinis Demidoff, which are small, thick,  buckwheat pancakes topped with sour cream and caviar. I like to make them on New Year’s Eve and/or Valentine’s Day.


There are lots of ways to make blinis. Pierre Franey calls them “galettes de sarrasin,” which are thin French crépes made with a mix of buckwheat flour and all purpose white flour, and quite delicious. You can also make blinis like regular Sunday morning pancakes, with half buckwheat and half white flour.  Additionally, you can make them yeasted, as in the Russian Tea Room cookbook, so they’re thick and rich.


Toppings MUST include sour cream. After that, caviar is classic. My preference is a really good smoked salmon , with capers. Here, with a Brussels sprouts salad and prosecco or champagne, you have a perfectly amorous meal.


What is buckwheat, anyway?

According to Wikipedia, buckwheat is not a close relation of wheat. It’s closer to sorrel and rhubarb. Go figure.


Ingredients

Blinis for two

3/4 c AP flour

3/4 c buckwheat flour. (If you can’t find buckwheat flour, get a box of Kasha and pulverize it in your blender.)

2 tsp dry yeast

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/3 c milk

1/4 c unsalted butter, plus more to grease your pan

2 beaten eggs


Method

  1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
  2. Melt the butter
  3. Heat the milk and butter together until milk is warm, not hot
  4. Pour milk and butter into dry ingredients 
  5. Add the eggs, and beat them in until the batter is smooth, then cover the bowl and set it to rise in a warm place until doubled (an hour or more.)
  6. Heat your pan or griddle, brush it with melted butter, stir down the batter and pour 2-3 tablespoons into the hot pan. When the top of the blini is covered with bubbles, flip it and cook the other side for 30 seconds or so. Keep the cooked blinis in a warming oven until you are ready to serve them with the sour cream, smoked salmon, and/or caviar, and any garnishes you like.

Serve with 

Sour Cream, smoked salmon (or Lox)  and capers



Brussels Sprouts Salad 

 

Ingredients

One dozen large Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed

2 strips of bacon

One large shallot

 

Dressing

1/3 c Extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Red pepper flakes (optional)


Method

 

Slice Brussels sprouts thin

Dice and fry 2 strips of bacon

Mince and fry the shallot in bacon fat

Mix the bacon and shallot with the sprouts

Dress and toss with mixture of evoo, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and red pepper flakes


Optional additions to salad are crushed nuts and raisons. We have used walnuts and pistachios 


Angelo

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