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Produced by Aimee Nishitoba; Photography by Carmen Cheung; Food Styling by Matthew Kimura; Prop Styling by Madeleine Johari; Illustrations by Emily Chu.
Made with a mix of buckwheat and all-purpose flours, these blinis can be prepared several days in advance.—Soo Kim
1 cup whole milk
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark buckwheat flour
1 1⁄2 tsp granulated sugar
1 1⁄4 tsp kosher salt or 1 tsp table salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1 egg, yolk and white separated
3 tbsp (approx) vegetable oil
1/3 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
1/4 cup caviar or salmon roe
1/4 lb sliced smoked salmon, cut into small pcs
fresh dill sprigs
Combine milk and butter in a saucepan on medium-low until butter is just melted.
Whisk all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast together in a bowl. Whisk in milk mixture until smooth. Cover and let rest at room temperature until risen, 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min.
Stir in egg yolk. Cover and let rest until bubbly, 30 min. Whisk or beat egg white in another bowl until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
Heat a large skillet over medium. Add 1 to 2 tsp oil and cook blinis, using about 1 tbsp batter for each, until bubbles form on top and blinis are lacy brown, 1 to 2 min per side. (Pancakes will rise and become fluffy and thick after flipping.) Repeat with remaining oil and batter.
Transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Serve at room temperature topped with sour cream and caviar or smoked salmon and dill. Store cooled blinis in a resealable container at room temperature for up to 3 days.