Petite pancakes, made with flour and cornmeal, are topped with a luscious layer of crème fraîche and crowned with a thin slice of smoked salmon to produce a delicious and sophisticated savory. Pictured with Roast Beef Tea Sandwiches with Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise and Mini Savory Mushroom & Herb Cheesecakes.
Smoked Salmon Cornmeal Blini
Serves: approximately 43
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup finely ground yellow cornmeal
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1⁄16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or avocado oil
- ⅔ cup crème fraîche
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 (4-ounce) package thinly sliced smoked salmon
- Garnish: fresh dill sprigs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, sugar, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg, butter, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. (A few lumps are OK, so don’t overbeat.)
- Line a tray or rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.
- Brush a nonstick griddle lightly with oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Using a levered 2-teaspoon scoop, drop batter 1 inch apart onto hot griddle. (Batter should spread into a fairly round shape. If batter is too thick, add a little more milk.) Cook until bubbles appear in tops of pancakes and edges look dry. Using a turner, flip pancakes; cook until browned. If pancakes are browning too much, reduce heat. Let pancakes cool completely on prepared tray, and use within 2 hours.
- In a small bowl, stir together crème fraiche and lemon zest.
- To assemble blini, spread ¾ teaspoon crème fraîche onto each cooled pancake. Divide small pieces of smoked salmon among pancakes.
