If there’s ever a time to have caviar, it’s during the holidays.  And 2020 – well, this one’s for you. Our recipe for buckwheat blinis will go with everything from smoked salmon to Nutella, in addition to caviar, of course.  Our latest obsession is Black River from Uruguay.  Because every day, you’re worth it.

I used to buy packets of blinis, or when I was feeling especially flush, I would buy the homemade buckwheat blinis they used to sell at Petrosian, before they went the route of packaged blinis too.  But with our At Home project, which brings Michelin starred chefs home to you to create mind-blowing meals, I started to make my own blinis.  For buckwheat, they are traditionally made with yeast so you have to give time for the dough to rise, but I found a great recipe online that I modified that uses baking powder and baking soda instead and whipped light as air egg whites.  The result is perfection.

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat flour

½ cup gluten-free flour with xanthan gum

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fleur du sel

2 teaspoons sugar

2 cups buttermilk

3 egg whites whipped until stiff peaks form

2 tablespoons melted butter

Butter for making the blinis on the skillet

Directions

This recipe could not be easier, but it’s about precision and making perfectly round blinis.  In a large bowl, mix all your dry ingredients together.  Add in the buttermilk, and the egg whites and whisk gently until there are no lumps.  Lastly mix in the butter.  Let the mixture stand for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat additional butter until melted and the skillet is hot over medium high heat.  With a large spoon, slowly pour the batter by the spoonful for each blini to form a circular shape.  Alternatively you can use a pastry bag with a round tip to form the blinis. Heat for about 2-3 minutes until bubbles form, then flip the blinis and continue to cook for about another minute.  Continue in batches, adding a little butter each time to cook the batch, and eventually turning the heat down to medium once the skillet gets too hot.  You want browned but not overly browned blinis.  Place cooked blinis in a warmed plate and cover with a cloth until ready to serve, almost steaming hot with smoked salmon, caviar or even for dessert with fruit and fresh whipped cream.