Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Blini’s!

Blini are Russia's version of the thin French crêpe and a staple on most Moscovian menus, typically made with buckwheat for savoury fillings or white flour for sweet toppings. You'll see accompaniments of smoked salmon, creamy mushrooms, sour cream, jams and condensed milk– to name a few– but the high-end, revered combination is a spoonful of red salmon or black sturgeon caviar. Another tasty Russian pancake is the cottage cheese version called syrniki, a denser form of ricotta-pancakes, which are eaten for breakfast or dessert. They're best served with homemade jams made from Russia's large array of berries, although condensed milk, honey and sour cream are also served as condiments.(Expatica) 

Ingredients:
(makes ~15 crepes)

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups of milk (or heavy cream for more indulgent blini)
  • 1T sugar
  • 1/2t salt
  • approx. 2 cups of flour 
  • 2T canola or vegetable oil + more for rubbing the pan
Instructions:
  1. Whisk eggs, milk, sugar and salt
  2. Slowly start stirring in flour. Start with a cup, and stir a little more at a time until you get a runny batter but not as thin as milk - don't stress about this step, you can always adjust as you go!
  3. Stir in oil
  4. Let rest for 15 minutes
  5. Preheat a 10" pan over medium heat and rub with oil (I pour some in a little cup and dip a paper towel in, then run it around the pan before making each blin)
  6. Use a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup measurer the scoop the batter into the middle of the pan, then quickly tilt the pan in a circular motion until the batter spreads to cover the pan surface. It should be a very thin layer*.
  7. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, until small bubbles form on top and the crepe is light golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook for 30 seconds. Repeat until batter is used (don't forget to rub the pan with oil each time!)
  8. As always, enjoy with sweetened condensed milk, sour cream and jam or any toppings, dips, or fillings of your choice. :)
*The first few blini may be experimental. Try the 1/4 cup and see if the batter covers the pan. Does it easily slide around the pan? If it's too thick, add some milk/cream to the batter. If it's too thin, add more flour to the batter. If it flows freely but doesn't properly cover the pan, use 1/3 cup per blin. I made these twice using a 10" pan, the first time 1/3 cup was perfect, the second time 1/4 cup was enough. Play with heat as well... my stove at home got hot quickly and the crepes were burning on medium (3.5/10 heat ended up perfect). At my parents' in law house in Maine, the pan wouldn't get hot enough on medium, but the crepes were cooking properly on medium high.
(http://www.russianbites.com)

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