Buckwheat Blinis with Crème Fraîche, Caviar and Chives

⏱ 50 min · Serves 6

Little cloud-soft buckwheat pancakes, still warm from the pan, crowned with cool crème fraîche, a glossy spoonful of caviar and a snip of chives. Barely any cooking, maximum glamour — the only canapé you need with a cold glass of champagne.

Per serving: 268 kcal · 9.5g protein · 21.0g carbs · 16.0g fat

Ingredients

• 75g buckwheat flour
• 75g plain flour
• 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1/2 tsp caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 200ml whole milk, warmed to blood temperature
• 1 large egg, separated
• 20g unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for frying
• 200g crème fraîche (full fat)
• 1 small bunch chives, very finely snipped
• 50g caviar or good oscietra/trout roe, well chilled
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Whisk both flours, the yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Pour in the warm milk and whisk to a smooth thick batter, then cover and leave somewhere warm for 30 minutes until bubbly and risen.
2. Whisk the egg yolk and melted butter into the risen batter.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg white to soft peaks and fold it gently into the batter in two additions — keep it airy.
4. Heat a heavy non-stick pan over medium heat and brush lightly with butter. Drop in teaspoons of batter to make 4cm rounds, spaced apart.
5. Cook for 1–2 minutes until bubbles break the surface and the undersides are golden, then flip and give them 30–45 seconds more. Repeat, buttering the pan between batches; you should get about 30 blinis.
6. Cool the blinis for a few minutes on a rack — they should be warm, not hot, or the crème fraîche will slide.
7. Stir a pinch of pepper and half the chives into the crème fraîche. Spoon or pipe a neat blob onto each blini.
8. Top each with a small spoonful of caviar (use a mother-of-pearl or plastic spoon so as not to bruise the flavour), scatter with the remaining chives and serve at once with lemon wedges.