ffwd – buckwheat blini with smoked salmon and crème fraiche
Buckwheat isn’t one of those things I often have. Don’t really make pancakes much. Not that I’ve never had it, just not that kind of on-the-hand thing.
When this recipe came my thoughts were “yum, love smoked salmon, long time since I’ve had any caviar – and oh, I hope Whole Foods has buckwheat flour in bulk so I don’t have to buy a whole package…“. Well, as it turns out – they don’t. Otherwise, the blini ingredients are straightforward. Like many of Dorie’s recipes, there’s a component that has to wait – in this instance, it’s the batter – it either is supposed to sit for 60-90 minutes, or overnight (in my case – all day) in the refrigerator so that it can rise. You see, there’s also yeast in these, another difference from a typical “pancake”
flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt, yeast
The dry ingredients are measured out. Then the milk and butter are heated to 110 degrees
All of the ingredients are combined, and then it’s time for the batter to rest for a bit
Once it’s had its break, and is ready for the next step, it comes out of the refrigerator – looking like this….
Then the eggs are added,
and it’s time to get going with baking the blini themselves.
I have to say, I was pleased with my efforts. I guess one good thing about a lot of batter is that you can make mistakes and still have everything work out!
Now that I had my blini ready, it was time for all of the goodies to go on top. I thought
I’d go with coho salmon, because it’s so pretty. My choices of caviar wasn’t extensive, so rather than the big red salmon, I chose the more delicate looking Wild Whitefish Caviar. I thought it looked festive!
Of course, once the blini are complete, there’s nothing to the assembly, and they do make for a pretty presentation.
We thought these were tasty, though I’m not sure over-the-top. That might have been the timing. The bold flavors of the salmon and caviar kind of overpowered the flavor of the blini, I thought. I could see these being a wonderful addition to a brunch table.
One thing about this recipe is that it made a lot of blini. Way more than needed for 6 people. That said, I did find out that they were good the next day with some yogurt and my home made cardamom apple butter on them. Nice, earthy, nutty flavor of the blini contrasting with the creamy yogurt and spicy apples… That might have actually been my favorite way of eating these.
Good news? I’m happy that I did end up with that bag of flour – so that I can think of some new ways to use these. They might even make it to the Thanksgiving weekend menu. I’m happy that Dorie had me (us) try something new. Again!
11 thoughts on “ffwd – buckwheat blini with smoked salmon and crème fraiche”
That’s the really great thing about the blini – they’re the perfect vehicle for a variety of toppings, and probably healthier than crackers (thanks to the buckwheat)
Do you have the recipe for the cardamom apple butter somewhere here? . I’m glad you enjoyed this. The lone jar of caviar at the supermarket looked like it had been overhandled (box was even broken!), so I decided to use capers instead. Love your fall spread!
I have some ideas for the flour too! Lately all my baking has caused me to store up a ridiculous amount of too many kinds of flours! 🙂 Glad you liked this too! We had a few for a pre-dinner snack and then just made big versions for breakfast this morning. I bet this would be super good with apple butter or pumpkin butter… hmmm…. !
Your pancakes are perfectly browned. Thanks for posting your recipe for apple butter, I’ve been looking for one. Love the little hedgehog on your table.
How funny! I had the exact same thought about Whole Foods. I was doubly disappointed because not only didn’t they have buckwheat flour in bulk, they didn’t have it at all. I ended up finding it at an “icky” grocery store that I don’t like to shop in, but I was passing by and they actually had it. I just added your cardamom apple butter to my “make soon” list. Thanks for posting the recipe.
When this recipe came my thoughts were “yum, love smoked salmon, long time since I’ve had any caviar – and oh, I hope Whole Foods has buckwheat flour in bulk so I don’t have to buy a whole package…“. Well, as it turns out – they don’t. Otherwise, the blini ingredients are straightforward. Like many of Dorie’s recipes, there’s a component that has to wait – in this instance, it’s the batter – it either is supposed to sit for 60-90 minutes, or overnight (in my case – all day) in the refrigerator so that it can rise. You see, there’s also yeast in these, another difference from a typical “pancake”
All of the ingredients are combined, and then it’s time for the batter to rest for a bit
I have to say, I was pleased with my efforts. I guess one good thing about a lot of batter is that you can make mistakes and still have everything work out!
That’s the really great thing about the blini – they’re the perfect vehicle for a variety of toppings, and probably healthier than crackers (thanks to the buckwheat)
Do you have the recipe for the cardamom apple butter somewhere here? . I’m glad you enjoyed this. The lone jar of caviar at the supermarket looked like it had been overhandled (box was even broken!), so I decided to use capers instead. Love your fall spread!
Not yet, but I’m plannning on adding it. I just ran out of time!
I’ve just added the link. 🙂
It really looks festive. Great job. Sounds delicious.
I have some ideas for the flour too! Lately all my baking has caused me to store up a ridiculous amount of too many kinds of flours! 🙂 Glad you liked this too! We had a few for a pre-dinner snack and then just made big versions for breakfast this morning. I bet this would be super good with apple butter or pumpkin butter… hmmm…. !
Glad you enjoyed!
These little guys are a perfect outlet for all sorts of topping – sweet & savory.
Have a great weekend.
Your pancakes are perfectly browned. Thanks for posting your recipe for apple butter, I’ve been looking for one. Love the little hedgehog on your table.
I have two pounds of buckwheat flour sitting in my pantry. I see some buckwheat experimentation in my future!
How funny! I had the exact same thought about Whole Foods. I was doubly disappointed because not only didn’t they have buckwheat flour in bulk, they didn’t have it at all. I ended up finding it at an “icky” grocery store that I don’t like to shop in, but I was passing by and they actually had it. I just added your cardamom apple butter to my “make soon” list. Thanks for posting the recipe.
We really enjoyed these, too. We were just given a gift of some homemade apple butter – now I want to make another batch, so I can try it your way!