Description
Ina Garten’s classic blini recipe delivers delightful Russian-style mini pancakes perfect for elegant appetizers. Delicate buckwheat and all-purpose flour create light, airy rounds that welcome caviar, smoked salmon, or sour cream toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) buttermilk
- 1 egg (separated)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) melted butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) buckwheat flour
- 25 g (0.9 oz) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 1 pinch bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
- butter (for frying)
- sour cream
- chives
- crab or caviar
- lemon jam
Instructions
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, and baking soda, ensuring uniform distribution of dry ingredients.
- Liquid Component Blending: Whisk buttermilk, melted unsalted butter, and egg yolk in a separate container until completely integrated and smooth.
- Batter Formation: Create a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid mixture, stirring methodically to eliminate lumps. Use a fine-mesh strainer to catch any potential flour clusters, maintaining a silky batter consistency.
- Egg White Integration: Whip egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff, glossy peaks that maintain their structural integrity when the whisk is lifted.
- Final Batter Assembly: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the primary batter in three careful stages, preserving the mixture’s delicate airiness and preventing deflation.
- Cooking Preparation: Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat, then reduce to low-medium. Apply a minimal butter coating to ensure even, non-stick cooking surface.
- Blini Cooking Process: Drop batter onto the heated surface to create circular pancakes, cooking until bubbles form across the top. Flip when edges turn golden, completing cooking on the reverse side until achieving a warm, uniform bronze coloration.
Notes
- Precise Flour Mixing: Sift dry ingredients thoroughly to prevent lumps and ensure even distribution, creating a smoother batter texture.
- Egg White Technique: Whip egg whites to stiff peaks carefully, using clean, dry whisks to maintain maximum volume and airiness in the blini.
- Temperature Control: Maintain low-medium heat while cooking to prevent burning and achieve evenly golden blinis with perfect soft interiors.
- Batter Consistency Check: Aim for a smooth, pourable batter that’s not too thick or thin – it should spread easily but not run all over the cooking surface.
- Prep Time: 13 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Russian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 149
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 131 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg