Chocolate Blinis Food

BLINIS

Steps:

• Cream the yeast with a little milk, then add the remaining milk, the egg yolks and sour cream.
• Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add the yeast mixture. Stir to make a thick batter. Leave for at least 1 hour in a warm place. The batter should now look bubbly. Stir well. Just before cooking, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
• Heat a little oil in the pan and pour off any excess. Then pour in a tablespoon of batter. Turn the pancake over when it shows bubbles on the top side. Cook lots. One bliny is never enough.

CHOCOLATE BLINIS

Steps:

• Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl.
• In another bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, cocoa powder and yogurt. Add seasoning to taste.
• Combine the flour mixture and the yogurt mixture and mix well.
• Leave the mixture to chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
• Drop one tablespoon amounts of batter onto an oiled and heated non-stick skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• When small holes form on the surface of the blinis, turn them over and cook for another minute.

CHOCOLATE BLINTZES WITH CHOCOLATE WHIPPED RICOTTA-ALMOND FILLING AND WARM CHERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• For the ricotta filling: Whisk together the ricotta, powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate and almonds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
• For the blintzes: Whisk together the sugar and eggs until pale. Whisk in the milk and butter. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt onto a piece of waxed paper. Add the sifted ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt a little butter. Ladle a scant 1/4 cup batter into the skillet. Tilt to swirl the batter so it covers the bottom of the skillet. Cook on one side until small air bubbles form, the top is set and the bottom is golden brown. When done, carefully loosen the edges of the crepe, flip over and cook for 30 seconds longer. Slip out of the skillet onto a plate. Butter the skillet as needed and repeat until all the batter is used.
• Turn each crepe so the golden brown side is up. Place 3 tablespoons ricotta filling in the middle in a 3 by 2-inch-wide mound. Roll once to cover the filling. Fold the sides into the center and continue rolling until completely closed. Repeat with the remaining crepes. You may have leftover filling; don't overfill.
• Serve 2 blintzes per plate. Spoon some of the Warm Cherry Sauce over, sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with mint sprigs.
• Combined the reserved cherry juice, kirsch and enough cold water to measure one total cup of liquid.
• Whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan until no lumps remain. Gradually whisk in the cherry juice mixture and cook over high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the cherries and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, remove from heat and add the lemon juice and almond extract. Serve hot or warm.

BLINI (RUSSIAN PANCAKES)

Steps:

• Beat together the milk and the eggs. Stir in the salt and the sugar and mix well. Add the baking soda and citric acid.
• Blend in the flour. Add the vegetable oil and pour in the boiling water, stirring constantly. The batter should be very thin, almost watery. Set the bowl aside and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Pick the pan up off the heat. Pour in a ladleful of batter while you rotate your wrist, tilting the pan so the batter makes a circle and coats the bottom. The blini should be very thin.
• Return the pan to the heat. Cook the blini for 90 seconds. Carefully lift up an edge of the blini to see if it's fully cooked: the edges will be golden and it should have brown spots on the surface. Flip the blini over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
• Transfer the blini to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel. Continue cooking the blini, adding an additional tablespoon of butter to the pan after each 4 blini. Stack them on top of each other and cover with the kitchen towel to keep warm.
• Spread your favorite filling in the center of the blini, and fold three times to make a triangle shape. You can also fold up all 4 sides, like a small burrito.

COCKTAIL BLINIS

Steps:

• Heat the milk in a saucepan until just steaming, then remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and butter, swirling until the butter melts. Tip the flours and yeast into a bowl and season with 1/4 tsp salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the milk mixture and the egg yolks. Whisk until you have a smooth batter, then cover with cling film and set aside for 1 hr (if you want to make the blinis ahead and freeze them, jump to step 4).
• Meanwhile, prepare the toppings. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the quail's eggs and cook for 2 1/2 mins. Drain the eggs and run under cold water, then leave to cool completely. Tip the beetroot and cream cheese into a food processor and season with a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Whizz to a purée, then scrape into a bowl and chill until ready to serve.
• For the salmon topping, flake the salmon into a bowl, add the cream cheese, lemon zest and juice, and horseradish, if using. Mash everything together with a fork, then chill until ready to serve. Peel the cucumber into long strips using a vegetable peeler, discarding the seedy middle part, and pop into a bowl of cold water.
• Check the blini batter - it should be bubbly on the surface. Tip the egg whites into a bowl and whisk until they hold soft peaks. Add to the blini batter and gently fold together, trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
• Get a wire rack or two ready to cool the blinis (this will prevent them from going soggy when cooling). Heat a knob of butter and a drizzle of oil in a large pan (if you have two pans, this will speed things up). When the butter is foaming, spoon tablespoons of the batter into the pan, leaving space between each one as they will spread a little. Cook over a medium heat until bubbles pop on the surface and the undersides are golden brown. Flip over and cook for 1-2 mins more, then transfer to the rack to cool. Wipe out the pan and continue cooking the remaining blinis in the same way. Will keep in an airtight container for 1 day, or freeze the cooked blinis on a baking tray covered with cling film, then foil, for up to a month. Defrost at room temperature before topping.
• To assemble, top half the blinis with the beetroot purée, peel and halve the eggs and place them on top, then scatter with cress and season with a little black pepper. Top the remaining blinis with the salmon pâté. Dry the cucumber slices well and ruffle each piece back on itself, then squash firmly between your fingers so it lays flat. Place them on top of the salmon, add a tiny blob of caviar and eat as soon as possible, preferably with glasses of fizz!