French Blinis, tiny, delicate yeast-risen pancakes served with caviar. I mean, of course dahhhhhling, toast points are sooooo last year.
A brief follow up to last week’s Beginners Guide to Caviar and Chef Benoit’s list of do’s and dont’s (which I’m sure you have pasted on your fridge by now). He insists you must have a recipe for what he calls “tiny little Louis Vuitton caviar pillows”.
I’ll be honest, I quite fell in love with Blinis; light and delicate and I bet they’d be great for breakfast with jam.
(Don’t tell him I said that…)
French Blinis vs. Russian Blinis
This is the French version of the classic Blinis, using all purpose flour as opposed to buckwheat flour used in the Russian version, making them lighter still.
Being a European recipe it was originally in metric. I’ve converted to imperial measures by reverse engineering and weighing each ingredient so that this recipe would be as accurate as possible. Now the recipe card has both so you can make French Blinis, wherever you are. If in doubt, just remember that the resulting batter should be resemble pancake batter.
Tiny French Pancakes for your fish eggs. ENJOY!
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French Blinis
- Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 40 blinis 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
French Blinis, tiny yeast-risen pancakes served with caviar. Unlike their Russian cousins, French Blinis are made with all purpose flour for a light, delicate foil for tiny fish eggs or smoked salmon.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons milk, lukewarm
- 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon 18% cream
- 2 tablespoons dry, active yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl combine egg yokes, cream & warm milk until well mixed.
- In a large bowl add flour, create a well in the center of the flour, add yeast to the well plus the egg yoke/milk mixture from the first bowl and combine until smooth. Add sugar & salt, whisk lightly to mix. Cover entire bowl with warm, damp kitchen towel 0r plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour to 90 minutes at room temperature.
- In large bowl, whisk eggs whites to firm peaks, gently fold into risen batter so as not to break the bubbles.
Sauté in heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Blinis should be about 2 inches in diameter, and golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and cool on paper towel to absorb an excess oil. Serve at room temperature (or slightly warm) with caviar and your choice of condiments. And… INDULGE.
Notes
Rule of thumb: Always read any new recipe all the way through before you start. Just in case you need metric eggs. ;D
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minute
- Category: Crapes
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: French
