Hiziki Caviar With Cornmeal Blini Recipes

SEVRUGA CAVIAR WITH DAL BLINIS

Steps:

• Put the urad dal in a deep bowl with cold water to cover dal by about 3 inches. Using the palms of your hands, rub the dal to split them apart. Allow them to soak for at least 8 hours. Drain well, reserving about half of the soaking water. Place the dal and half of the water into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until very thick and smooth, adding additional soaking water as necessary. Add salt. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil in a nonstick griddle over medium heat, tilting the pan so the oil covers the entire bottom. When hot, pour spoonfuls of dal butter onto the griddle to make round blinis 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Do not crowd the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the batter is set and the bottom is lightly browned. Turn the blinis and cook for an additional minute, or until they are cooked through. Remove from the griddle, place on a warm plate, and loosely tent with foil to keep warm. Continue to grease the griddle and cook the blinis until you have 18. Place 3 blinis, slightly overlapping, on 6 small plates. Place a spoonful of caviar in the center of each blini. Place a chive point into each mound of caviar and serve.

BUCKWHEAT BLINI

Steps:

• Over medium-high heat, bring the milk and butter to just below a boil. Cool until lukewarm.
• Combine the buckwheat flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate small bowl, combine the yeast and lukewarm water. Allow the yeast to activate for 5 minutes in a warm place (see Cook's Note*).
• In a large bowl, beat the egg yolk until light yellow. Drizzle the milk and butter mixture slowly into the yolk while whisking. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in a warm place until doubled in size.
• Whisk the egg white until soft peaks form. Fold the egg white into the batter. Cover the batter again and allow it to regain its original volume, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Preheat a skillet and lightly brush it with the clarified butter. Spoon 1 tablespoon portions of the batter into the skillet (see Cook's Note**). Lightly brown on both sides.
• Spoon 1 teaspoon of the smoked salmon cream cheese mixture over a blini. Garnish with fresh dill and serve.
• In a medium bowl cream together the cream cheese, dill, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Gently fold in the smoked salmon.

BLINI WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir together flour and 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt. Stir together buttermilk, butter, sugar, and egg yolks in a large bowl; whisk in yeast mixture, then flour mixture. Let stand, covered, in a warm place for 30 minutes.
• Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Let stand for 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, and coat with a thin layer of butter. Add a scant tablespoon batter for each blin (about 6 or 7 per skillet), and cook, flipping after bubbles appear at edges and color turns golden, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a parchment-lined tray, andlet cool for 30 minutes. Garnish with creme fraiche and caviar.

SWEET CORN BLINI

Steps:

• Put flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Grind 1 cup corn kernels to a rough purée in a food processor, then add egg and yogurt, and pulse to mix. Add corn mixture to flour mixture and stir together until just mixed to make a thick batter. Stir in 4 tablespoons melted butter. Set aside for 5 minutes. Thin with a little milk if necessary. (Batter may be prepared several hours ahead.)
• Warm remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 1 minute or so to heat through. Keep warm.
• Put greased griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Using 1 tablespoon batter, make pancakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook for 1 minute, until bubbles appear on surface and pancakes are lightly browned. Flip and cook for 30 seconds more. (Be sure to keep heat moderate or else the pancakes will blacken.) Pancakes may be cooked in advance and reheated.
• To serve, place 3 hot pancakes on small plate. Top with spoonful of cooked corn and some of the butter from the pan. Drizzle with crème fraîche and sprinkle with chives.

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.

BLINI WITH MUSHROOM CAVIAR

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to sweat, and add the garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often over medium heat, for five minutes until the mushrooms are tender and fragrant. Add the tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, and taste and adjust the seasonings. There should be very little liquid in the pan. If there is, continue to simmer uncovered until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the dill, and serve.

BUCKWHEAT BLINI WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• In large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup milk. Stir in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
• Combine remaining all-purpose flour, the buckwheat flour and salt. Add 2 cups milk to the yeast mixture and gradually whisk in flour-salt mixture until you have a smooth, thick batter. Whisk in melted butter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature and let batter slowly double in size, about 2 to 3 hours. (The batter may remain at room temperature even longer if necessary.) You may also mix batter and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.
• When you are ready to cook blini, stir down batter, which will have become quite frothy. Beat egg yolks and whisk into batter. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Gently fold egg whites into batter.
• Spoon batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle, using a large soup spoon to make blini that are 3 inches in diameter. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bottom is well browned. Flip and cook 1 minute more. (Wait until surface is covered in bubbles before flipping.) Keep warm in a low oven. Serve with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of butter, a generous spoonful of caviar and a sprinkling of chives.

CAVIAR AND BLINIS

Steps:

• 1. Combine the pancake mix with the salt, egg, butter or oil, and milk or water.
• 2. Lightly brush another tablespoon of melted butter onto a skillet over medium-high heat.
• 3. When the skillet is hot, spoon the batter into it a tablespoon at a time.
• 4. Cook the blinis until tiny bubbles appear, about 1 minute, then flip them and fry until golden brown on each side.
• 5. Transfer the blinis to a platter and serve warm with the caviar, crème fraîche, chives, and smoked salmon and onion (if desired).