Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon

This recipe has been featured in a post on The Recipe Girl blog: Buckwheat Blinis

Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon

Yield: 12 appetizers
Prep Time: 30 minutes + time for letting the blini batter to rise

I made these for a gourmet dinner party and they were a big hit. Delicious and unique!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoons (generous) salt
1 cup whole milk
3 Tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
melted butter
crème fraîche
One 4-ounce package thinly sliced smoked salmon
fresh dill sprigs

Directions:

1. Whisk first 5 ingredients (through salt) in a medium bowl.

2. Place milk and butter in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and thermometer registers 110°F (if mixture gets too warm, cool until temperature returns to 110°F). Pour warm milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, 1 to 1½ hours.

3. Whisk buckwheat batter to deflate; then whisk in eggs. Do ahead tip: Can be prepared to this point 1 day ahead. Transfer to large bowl. Cover; chill (may increase in volume; rewhisk before using).

4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with melted butter. Working in batches, pour a large Tablespoonful of batter for each blini onto griddle, spacing apart. Cook until bubbles form on top and begin to pop, about 1½ minutes. Turn blinis; cook until golden brown on bottom, about 1½ minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Tent with foil and place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining blinis. Do ahead tip: Blinis can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Brush blinis lightly with melted butter and rewarm on baking sheet in 350°F oven 5 minutes.

5. Arrange warm blinis on platter. Top with piece of salmon and then a small dollop of crème fraîche. Garnish with a small dill sprig and serve.

Cooking Tips:
*If you'd like a clean look to the pancake, you may wish to use a scallop-edged cutter to cut into the little pancakes.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit