Buckwheat blinis with roe, crème fraîche and red onion
Serves 6 as a starter · 1 hour 40 minutes · Plett pan
Small yeasted buckwheat blinis, cooked seven at a time in the plett pan. The cups give round, bite-sized blinis, just right for a spoonful of crème fraîche and roe.
Blinis are small yeasted pancakes made with buckwheat and wheat flour, served warm with crème fraîche, roe and red onion as a classic Christmas and New Year starter. They are lightest when the batter has an hour to rise and you fold in whisked egg white just before cooking.
Ingredients
Serves 6 as a starter
Blinis, about 28
- 10 g fresh yeast (or 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast)
- 250 ml whole milk
- 60 g buckwheat flour
- 60 g plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 25 g butter, melted, plus extra for the pan
To serve
- 200 ml crème fraîche or smetana
- 100 g vendace roe (löjrom) or trout roe
- 1 small red onion
- 1 lemon
- A few sprigs of dill (optional)
Method
- Warm the milk until lukewarm, about 37 °C, and stir in the yeast. Whisk in both flours, the salt, the egg yolk and the melted butter to a smooth batter. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour, until bubbly.
- Finely chop the red onion, cut the lemon into wedges and keep the crème fraîche and roe chilled until serving.
- Whisk the egg white to firm peaks and gently fold it into the batter just before cooking.
- Heat the plett pan over a medium heat and brush the cups with melted butter. Fill each cup with about 1 tbsp of batter.
- Cook until small holes appear on the surface and the edges have set, 1–2 minutes. Turn with a fork or a narrow spatula and cook for about 1 minute more. Keep the blinis under a tea towel while you cook the rest the same way.
- Serve the blinis warm with a dollop of crème fraîche, a spoonful of roe, a little red onion, a few drops of lemon and some dill if you like.
Why it works
The cups hold the batter in place, so every blini comes out round and the same size without measuring. Carbon steel heats evenly across the whole plate, so all seven brown at the same time.
FAQ
Can blinis be made ahead?
Yes. Cook them a few hours in advance and warm them in the oven at 150 °C for about 5 minutes. They also freeze well.
What can I use instead of vendace roe?
Lumpfish roe, trout roe or smoked salmon all work well. The flavour changes, but the toppings stay the same.
Do blinis need buckwheat flour?
Buckwheat gives the nutty flavour and greyish-brown colour. Made with wheat flour only they are still good, but taste more like ordinary small pancakes.
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