Smoked Salmon Blini, Dill Crème Fraiche and Caviar by Paul Foster

These smoked salmon blinis from chef Paul Foster are perfect as a starter. A savoury fluffy pancake topped with fragrant dill crème fraiche topped with a little caviar for an elegant flourish. Small but truly delicious!

Recipe Courtesy of Paul Foster owner of Salt Restaurant

Tips on how to make the perfect pancake click HERE

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Equipment

• Mixing Bowl
• Sieve
• Proware Stainless Steel Tri-Ply 28cm Non-Stick Frying Pan

Ingredients

Blini Batter:

• 150g Plain Flour
• 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 3 Medium Eggs
• 60g Milk
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
• 100g Clarified Butter (for cooking)

To serve:

• 100g sliced Smoked Salmon
• 1 tub Crème Fraiche
• Fresh Dill
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Tub Caviar

Cooking Method

Blini Batter:

1. In a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
2. Add the eggs and mix to a smooth paste.
3. Slowly add the milk and mix to a smooth batter. Use immediately.
4. Heat a large ProWare non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat and add a small amount of the clarified butter.
5. Carefully spoon a small amount of batter into the pan to create a small round pancake, (using a piping bag will make a rounder consistent pancake).
6. Repeat this process around the outside of the pan in a clockwise direction.
7. After 1-2 minutes of cooking, flip the blini over to continue cooking on the other side for a further 1-2 minutes.
8. Repeat this process clockwise, starting with the first blini that was spooned into the pan.

Dill Crème Fraiche

1. Finely chop the dill.
2. Place the Crème Fraiche into a mixing bowl and start to whip.
3. Add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
4. Add the chopped dill and return to the fridge for an hour before use.

To serve:

Tear a good slice of smoked salmon and place on top of the Blini, spoon on a generous amount of crème fraiche and a generous amount of Caviar. Garnish with a picked sprig of Dill and serve.