Buckwheat Blini With Caviar

Better than ones from Russian cookbook! Recipe makes a ton, so halve next time. Soup spoon works well for adding batter to skillet.

I chose this recipe because of Barbara's note. I like a thinnish blini that I can roll up like they used to serve at The Russian Tea Room. So I used this recipe and added one less egg because I wanted less stiff blinis. Came out like I wanted ... a little crepey but still clearly a pancake.

I made these links for the first time today and had no problem with the consistency of the batter. The recipe produced an easily pourable batter - I used an 1/8 cup measuring cup. I did beat the egg whites to a stiff point as you would for a souffle and carefully folded in. They were perfect!

If you don't want to add further flour, use some mashed potato (without butter added to it) which will thicken it splendidly and add greater depth to the flavour. If making a large quantity, I also add a good dash of black beer.

I agree with Barbara Wheeler. The batter as prescribed was too loose and the blinis wouldn't cook through. I added moderately more buckwheat flower to the mix and then they were excellent. While I didn't exactly measure how much flour I added, I suspect her recommendation of 1 cup flour per 1 cup milk is about right. I also agree with Vasily on the importance of the iced vodka.

Lox, herring, sprats chopped onion, crumbled hardboiled eggs are great additions. I prefer sour cream to creme fraiche. I have altered this recipe slightly by changing the proportion of buckwheat flour and regular flour. By using a mix that is made up of 1 1/3 cups regular flour and 2/3 of a cup of buckwheat you get a "lighter" blini. Iced vodka shots are a must.