Chive Blini Recipes

Steps:

• Stir together yeast, 1/4 cup milk, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved, then let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over.) Add 1 1/4 cups milk and rice flour, whisking until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sponge rise in a warm place until bubbly, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, whisk together yolks, sour cream, 2 tablespoons butter, and remaining cup milk in a bowl.
• Whisk yolk mixture into bubbly sponge, then add all-purpose flour and sea salt, whisking until smooth. Stir in chives.
• Beat egg whites in a bowl with an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold into batter. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Put a buttered large baking sheet in oven and preheat oven to 200°F.
• Brush some of remaining butter onto bottom of a 10-inch nonstick skillet and heat over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add 1 cup batter and cook until underside is lightly browned and surface is covered with holes, about 2 minutes. Turn over with a wide spatula and cook until golden on bottom and puffed, about 1 minute more. Brush top with some melted butter, then transfer to buttered baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil and keep warm in middle of oven. Make 5 more blini in same manner (you'll have 2 extra), stacking them on baking sheet in 2 piles with sheets of foil between blini.

BLINI WITH THREE CAVIARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl proof the yeast with 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar in 1/3 cup lukewarm water for 10 minutes, or until it is foamy. Stir in 1 cup of the milk, heated to lukewarm, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the buckwheat flour, beat the batter for 1 minute, and let it rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 2 hours or chill it, covered tightly, overnight. (Chilling overnight produces a tangier flavor. Let the batter come to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.) Stir in the remaining 1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm, the all-purpose flour, the salt, and the yolks, beat the mixture for 1 minute, and let it rise, covered with the plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is double in bulk and bubbly. In a bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold it into the batter. In a metal bowl beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks and fold them into the batter gently but thoroughly.
• Heat a griddle or large skillet over moderate heat until it is hot, brush it lightly with the additional melted butter, and spoon tablespoons of the batter onto the griddle, spreading them to form 3-inch rounds. Cook the blini for 1 minute on each side, or until the undersides are golden. Transfer the blini as they are cooked to a platter and keep them warm, covered with a kitchen towel. Make blini with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the griddle lightly with the butter as necessary. The blini may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the blini, covered with foil, in a 350°F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are warm, or microwave them on a microwave-safe plastic wrap, at high power (100%) for 2 minutes, or until they are warm.
• Arrange 3 or 4 blini on each of 18 small plates, top them with some of the sour cream, and arrange some of the caviar decoratively on the sour cream.

CORN BLINI WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CHIVE CREAM

Steps:

• Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Cover and chill.
• Cut kernels from ear of corn. Scrape remaining pulp from cob using the dull side of a knife blade. Discard cob. Set corn aside.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and cornmeal in a medium bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine milk and egg yolk in a small bowl, stir well with whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir with a whisk until just moist. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper.
• Place egg white in a bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gently fold egg white mixture into corn mixture.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 1 tbls. batter per blini onto pan, spreading to about 2" diameter. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges begin to set. Carefully turn blinis over, cook for 1 more mintue. Transfer blinis to a serving platter, and arrange in a single layer; keep warm. Repeat process with the remaining batter. Top each blini with with 1 piece salmon and 1 teaspoons sour cream mixture. Garnish with chopped chives, if using.
• Makes 8 servings.