Equipment
Ingredients
Blini Batter
- 200 ml whole milk, lukewarm
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 5 g granulated sugar
- 75 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g buckwheat flour
- 2 eggs, separated
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 30 ml neutral oil
Creamy Radish Topping
- 150 g red radishes, trimmed
- 150 g plain greek yogurt, full fat preferred
- 10 g fresh dill, finely chopped
- 10 ml lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Warm the milk to 38°C/100°F. Whisk in the active dry yeast and sugar until fully dissolved. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it becomes slightly frothy.
Whisk the all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour into the milk mixture until a smooth, thick batter forms.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the batter proof in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size and visibly bubbly.
While the batter proofs, grate the radishes using the coarse side of a box grater.
Place the grated radishes into a clean kitchen towel. Twist and squeeze vigorously to drain as much excess liquid as possible. This step is crucial to prevent a watery topping.
In a small bowl, mix the drained radishes, Greek yogurt, chopped dill, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until assembly.
Once the batter has proofed, gently stir in the egg yolks, melted butter, and fine sea salt until just incorporated.
In a separate, perfectly clean glass or metal bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the rested batter using a spatula, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and brush lightly with neutral oil. Drop level tablespoons of batter into the pan, leaving space between each. Fry for 2 minutes until bubbles appear and pop on the surface, then flip and cook for 1 additional minute. Repeat with remaining batter.
Transfer the cooked blini to a serving platter and allow them to cool slightly. Top each warm blini with a generous teaspoon of the creamy radish mixture. Garnish with a tiny sprig of fresh dill.
Chef's Notes
- Using a combination of all-purpose and buckwheat flour provides the traditional earthy flavor of Russian blini without making the texture too heavy.
- Ensure your bowl for whipping egg whites is completely free of grease; even a drop of fat from an egg yolk can prevent the whites from reaching stiff peaks.
- To scale this for a larger party, you can cook the blini in advance, cool them on a wire rack to prevent sogginess, and gently reheat them in the oven before topping.
- Adding a pinch of salt to the radishes before squeezing them can help draw out extra moisture through osmosis.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the blini and the radish topping in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — Only freeze the blini, not the topping. Separate blini with parchment paper.
Reheating: Reheat blini in a 180°C/350°F oven for 5 minutes or in a toaster before adding fresh topping.
