Sweet Potato Blinis With Cured Salmon Creme Fraiche And Caviar Food

COCKTAIL BLINI (FOR CAVIAR AND MORE!)

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. In medium bowl, whisk together milk, sugar, egg, and melted butter.
• Slowly whisk egg mixture into flour mixture until batter is combined and mostly smooth, with some small lumps remaining. Be careful not to over-mix.
• Line plate with paper towels and set aside. Lightly grease skillet with butter or avocado oil. Heat skillet over medium-low to medium heat (I usually set mine on 4 out of 10).
• Drop 1-tablespoon-sized scoops of batter into heated skillet. Cook until bubbles form, approximately 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Flip blini over and continue cooking until browned, approximately 1 minute. Transfer blini from skillet to plate lined with paper towels (to help soak up excess butter). Wipe out skillet and repeat process until all batter has been used. Serve warm with toppings of choice.

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.

BLINIS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the blinis on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Top each blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.

CHIVE BLINI WITH CAVIAR AND CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, egg, milk, 1 tablespoon butter, chives, and salt. Whisk just until ingredients come together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour. Set a medium nonstick pan over low heat and brush with melted butter. Pour approximately 1 teaspoon of the batter into the pan, and repeat leaving some space between pancakes. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes (about 1 to 2 minutes), flip them over with a spatula. Continue cooking for 1 minute more or until the pancakes are golden brown on both sides.
• Serve with a tiny dollop of creme fraiche and an even tinier dollop of the caviar of your choice (paddle fish, hackleback, golden whitefish and tobiko all work well.)

BAKED POTATOES WITH CRéME FRAICHE AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in center. Bake potatoes directly on rack until darkened slightly, beginning to wrinkle, and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (depending on size).
• Working one at a time, immediately wrap potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and slam down onto a countertop (this ensures a light, fluffy texture). Slash potatoes to open, season, and top generously with dollops of crème fraîche and scoops of caviar. Serve immediately.

BLINI WITH SOUR CREAM AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Add all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, and salt, then stir in milk, 3 tablespoons butter, and eggs. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set in a roasting pan filled with 1 inch of warm water. Let rise in a warm place until dough is increased in volume, has bubbles breaking the surface, and is stringy when scooped, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir batter before using.
• Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot and brush with some of remaining melted butter (if butter browns immediately, lower heat). Working in batches of 4, spoon 1 tablespoon batter into skillet for each blin, then cook, turning over once, until golden on both sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof platter and keep blini warm in oven.
• Serve blini topped with sour cream and caviar.

SWEET POTATO, CRèME FRAîCHE, AND CAVIAR BITES

Steps:

• Cut the sweet potatoes crosswise into 1/4 inch slices with a large sharp knife and with a sharp 1- to 1 1/2-inch decorative cutter cut a decorative shape from each slice. Steam the sweet potatoes in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they are just tender, arrange them in one layer on a plate, and let them cool, their surface covered with plastic wrap. Chill the sweet potatoes for at least 1 hour or overnight. The sweet potatoes my be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.
• Arrange the sweet potatoes, patted dry, on serving plates, top each piece with 1/2 teaspoon of the crème fraîche and 1/8 teaspoon caviar, and garnish the "bites" with the dill.

BUCKWHEAT BLINIS WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl.
• Place milk and butter in small saucepan. Stir over low heat until butter melts and thermometer registers 110°F (if mixture gets too warm, cool until temperature returns to 110°F). Pour warm milk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Whisk buckwheat batter to deflate; then whisk in eggs. Do ahead Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Transfer to large bowl. Cover; chill (may increase in volume; rewhisk before using).
• Preheat oven to 200°F. Heat griddle or large skillet over medium heat. Brush lightly with melted butter. Working in batches, pour 2 tablespoons batter for each blini onto griddle, spacing apart. Cook until bubbles form on top and begin to pop, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn blinis; cook until golden brown on bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to baking sheet. Tent with foil and place in oven to keep warm while cooking remaining blinis. Do ahead Blinis can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Brush blinis lightly with melted butter and rewarm on baking sheet in 350°F oven 5 minutes.
• Arrange warm blinis on platter. Spoon 1 rounded teaspoon crème fraîche atop each. Top with smoked salmon. Garnish with salmon roe and dill sprigs and serve.