YIELDS:
6-8 servings
PREP TIME:
0 hours 10 mins
COOK TIME:
0 hours 30 mins
TOTAL TIME:
0 hours 40 mins
ingredients
2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar (or Lankato sweetener)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Kosher salt
1/4 cup whole milk (or skim milk)
1 large egg, separated
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, plus more for cooking (or Land O’Lakes Lite Butter)
Sour Cream (or Fat Free Fage Greek Yogurt)
Fresh Chives
Salmon Roe
DIRECTIONS
NOTE: Blini are such elegant little bites of heaven and can really be lightened up by the use of alternative ingredients. If I have a health conscious group at my home, I substitute lankato monk fruit for the sugar, use fat free Fage Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, skim milk instead of whole and I also use a light butter. The taste is the same and your guests will get the same fabulous experience. I have learned to do a lot of substitutions when I cook and when I find great ingredients and good substitutions; I will share them with you here. You can really cut back on saturated fats and sugar when preparing food with a couple of good subs.
You can make these in advance and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve or just make up to a day ahead and refrigerate them. Just reheat in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes and you are ready to go.
Caviar is the traditional topping on blini but it is definitely not in everyone’s budget. A really good substitute is a reasonably priced salmon roe. I have an abundance of great supermarkets in my area and I can easily source a good one but if you can’t, you’ll find all kinds of options online. You can pick up a small jar for $12 – $15. Another tip: if you are rushed and want to pull this together really fast, GELSON’s supermarket sells these premade Blinis in their cheese department and they are really good. Keep a box in the refrigerator, heat them up when you are ready to assemble your starter and you are set for a gourmet appetizer or a great nibble with a cocktail. This is a no brainer to keep on hand. Easy, fast and delicious.