Russian: Blinis (Pancakes)

Recipe by Paul Young <paul@cooking-with-paul.com>

(serves many)

Pancake ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, whipped
• 2½ cups milk, or more as needed (or sub kefir)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or replace ½ cup of white flour with buckwheat flour)
• Spray coconut oil

For Serving:

• Sour cream (optional: mix in prepared horseradish)
• Nutella, jam, cheese, fresh fruit, fruit preserves, honey, etc
• Smoked salmon, smoked trout, sauteed mushrooms*
• Garnish: fresh dill, chopped chives, finely chopped red onions, poppy seeds, ground cinnamon, etc

Procedure:

1. Make the batter: in a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, milk, salt; slowly add flour and mix until smooth
2. Cover the bowl and allow to rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes
3. Test the batter: Heat 8-inch nonstick skillet, spray pan with coconut oil; when pan is hot, pour in a small amount of batter, then tilt immediately to make a thinner crepe; if the crepe is too thick, add more milk to batter; if the crepe is too thin, add more flour; discard test crepe
4. Making large (8-inch) pancakes: repeat above, but this time pour in about ¼ cup (4 tablespoons) of the batter, tilt immediately and swirl to allow batter to coat the entire bottom of the pan; let the crepe cook over medium-high heat until the edges start to curl up (about 1 minute); flip the crepe with a spatula and cook for 10 seconds longer or until a few brown spots appear on the bottom; repeat until batter is gone (you should end up with about 8-12 pancakes)
5. Transfer each finished pancake to a large plate, layer each crepe with parchment or waxed paper; allow to cool before serving (or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed)
6. To serve: spread 2 tablespoons of filling near the bottom center of one pancake, fold edges over filling and roll the pancake up; top with sauce or garnish (if desired)
7. Or: fold pancake in half, then in half again to make a triangle; top with filling and/or sauce
8. Or: make canape-style mini-pancakes (about 1½ inches in diameter): use only 1 tablespoon of batter; top with your choice of goodies and serve

Small blini stacking order suggestions (build from bottom to top):

*Saute sliced mushrooms in butter and/or red wine until soft before stuffing. You can also make a white wine sauce: sprinkle flour into pan when mushrooms are soft, add white wine and stir until sauce is thickened and smooth, then season with salt & pepper to taste (optional: dissolve a small amount of mushroom base into the sauce). Tip: reserve some sauce to pour over the blinis before serving.