Buckwheat Blinis with Crème Fraiche & Smoked Salmon

Ingredients (Serves 20 – 25)

• 115g buckwheat flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Black pepper
• 1 egg, separated
• 150ml milk
• Little olive oil

Topping

• 1 x 200ml tub of Crème Fraiche (not low fat)
• 1 pack of smoked salmon trimmings, shredded

Garnish

• Lemon wedges
• Fresh dill fronds

Method

Place the flour, baking powder and pepper into a bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and almost all of the milk and mix to a smooth batter, adding the remainder of the milk if necessary (some flours absorb more liquid than others). Whisk the egg white to a soft peak stage and fold into the batter.

Wipe the simmering plate with a little oil on a piece of kitchen paper. Drop dessert spoons of the mixture onto the simmering plate, when bubbles rise to the surface, turn over and cook the other side. Put to cool in a clean tea towel.

Conventional cooking: Cook in a lightly oiled frying pan on the hob.

Place the pancakes on a serving plate, top each pancake with a spoon of crème Fraiche and shreds of smoked salmon. Garnish with the lemon and fresh dill.

For Variation: substitute prosciutto for the salmon and garnish with tiny gherkins.