Beluga Lentil Caviar With Potato Blini Food

BELUGA LENTIL CAVIAR

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or wok, heat oil on medium until it begins to shimmer.
• Add leek, carrots, celery and salt, and sauté 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, and add wine. Allow wine to cook down for 1-2 minutes, then lower heat to medium. Add tomatoes, and sauté 1-2 minutes.
• Add lentils, bay leaves, and 2 cups water. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer about 40 minutes until most of the water has cooked down.
• When lentils are finished cooking, remove bay leaves.
• To serve: Smear crackers with cream cheese, and top with lentils and dill (optional) right before serving.

POTATO BLINI WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Stir together mashed potatoes, 1 teaspoon horseradish and flour; set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Make blini by dropping 1 tablespoonful of potato mixture into pan. Cook 2 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
• In a small bowl, stir together sour cream, remaining horseradish, and dill.
• Serve blini by topping each with 1 1/2 teaspoons sour cream mixture. Garnish with caviar.

BELUGA LENTIL 'CAVIAR' WITH POTATO BLINI

Steps:

• For the "caviar": Rinse the lentils. Combine them with the water, kombu and salt in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture is barely bubbling around the edges; cover and cook until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the lentils to cool in the liquid.
• Discard the kombu, then drain the lentils and stir in the olive oil.
• For the blini: Combine the potato, water and butter in a microwave-safe dish; cover and microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes, until the potato is tender. Cool.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a small bowl.
• Run the cooled potato mixture through a ricer into the bowl with the flour mixture. (If you don't have a ricer, mash very thoroughly with a potato masher or fork.) Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour-potato mixture.
• Pour 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Once it shimmers, add batter 1 tablespoon at a time to form small pancakes. (You'll be able to fit about 5 blini at a time in a 12-inch skillet.) Cook until bubbles form all over the blinis' surface and the blini are deeply browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes; carefully flip and cook on the second side, then transfer to a plate. Working in batches, cook the remaining blini, adding oil to the pan between batches if it looks dry.
• To assemble, top each blini with crème fraîche and a teaspoon of beluga lentils. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired, and garnish with fresh dill.

BLINI WITH THREE CAVIARS

Steps:

• In a large bowl proof the yeast with 1/2 tablespoon of the sugar in 1/3 cup lukewarm water for 10 minutes, or until it is foamy. Stir in 1 cup of the milk, heated to lukewarm, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the buckwheat flour, beat the batter for 1 minute, and let it rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 2 hours or chill it, covered tightly, overnight. (Chilling overnight produces a tangier flavor. Let the batter come to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.) Stir in the remaining 1 cup milk, heated to lukewarm, the all-purpose flour, the salt, and the yolks, beat the mixture for 1 minute, and let it rise, covered with the plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until it is double in bulk and bubbly. In a bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks and fold it into the batter. In a metal bowl beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks and fold them into the batter gently but thoroughly.
• Heat a griddle or large skillet over moderate heat until it is hot, brush it lightly with the additional melted butter, and spoon tablespoons of the batter onto the griddle, spreading them to form 3-inch rounds. Cook the blini for 1 minute on each side, or until the undersides are golden. Transfer the blini as they are cooked to a platter and keep them warm, covered with a kitchen towel. Make blini with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the griddle lightly with the butter as necessary. The blini may be made 2 days in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the blini, covered with foil, in a 350°F. oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are warm, or microwave them on a microwave-safe plastic wrap, at high power (100%) for 2 minutes, or until they are warm.
• Arrange 3 or 4 blini on each of 18 small plates, top them with some of the sour cream, and arrange some of the caviar decoratively on the sour cream.

BELUGA LENTILS

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils, and pick through them to remove any small stones.
• Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil and wait a minute. Add the onion, thyme, chile, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Cook the onion, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the lentils and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring to coat the lentils in the oil and vegetables. Reduce the heat to low, and add the wine. Quickly add 6 cups water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
• Strain the lentils over a bowl. Toss them with the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil, the basil sprigs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. (Add more of the liquid if the lentils seem dry.) Taste for seasoning.