Blinis with cream cheese and quail eggs

Today we welcome Raquel Carmona, who you may not only know from her food blog Los Tragaldabas , but also for being the co-author of the book La Mesa del Pecado, which was recently awarded the "Best Innovative Cookbook" (Spain), a prize awarded by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2014.

In her first post on our blog, Raquel presents us with a very versatile and homely recipe: blinis that you can present with elaborate accompaniments for a special meal, or with a sweet treat for the little ones' snack.

Welcome, Raquel! And everyone, enjoy these delicious blinis!

Blinis are pancakes of Russian origin made from wheat flour, milk and yeast. They can be eaten fried or baked. They are one of the most typical recipes of Russian cuisine, also known in different countries, although with different names. In our cuisine, they are the equivalent of pancakes or crepes.

This type of preparation is very old, its round shape and golden colour represent the Sun, for this reason it was one of the main dishes of pagan festivals. They were also given to women who had just given birth and served at weddings and funerals.

Blinis were present in their lives from the beginning to the end. Blinis are used as a base for different preparations, both savoury and sweet, the most famous recipe is to accompany them with crème fraîche, smoked salmon and caviar. Although they admit an infinite number of combinations, with different smoked fish such as herring, trout, sturgeon with jams, compotes, and even filled with fruit. As you can see, it is a recipe that can be used to present any appetizer or a delicious snack.

To make my blinis I used the De Buyer Mineral frying pan that is suitable for this type of preparation. With a diameter of 12 cm, it is perfect for making all the blinis exactly the same. It is the best option for healthy cooking, handcrafted from natural iron and without chemicals or coatings. De Buyer frying pans have a layer of natural beeswax that protects and helps the pan to have a naturally non-stick surface.

There are many recipes for blinis but I have chosen one that I knew could not fail and it is the one by the great baker Richard Bertinet, known worldwide for his bread kneading technique and for his numerous books. The accompaniment is somewhat different but delicious and if not, let me know. Let's get on with the recipe.

Ingredients:

150 g of flour

150ml of milk

2 eggs

15gr of fresh yeast (half of the yeast if it is dry)

100 g fresh cream or sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

Butter (for greasing)

150gr of creamy cheese

Fresh dill

12 quail eggs

Sturgeon roe or spherifications

In the photo, Bérard olive wood cutting board .

Preparation of the recipe

We separate the whites from the yolks and set aside.

Heat the milk a little without letting it boil. Once hot, add the yeast and stir well until dissolved. Then add the fresh cream and the egg yolks and beat.

In a bowl we put the flour and salt.

Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour, mixing until all the ingredients are well combined and the dough becomes thick. Cover with a cloth and let it rest at room temperature for about an hour to increase in volume. It is ready when Let's see that the surface is full of little bubbles.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and add them to the mixture. Mix with circular movements and let rest again for two hours.

Meanwhile, we prepare our filling. To do this, we chop the fresh dill very finely and mix it with the cream cheese (if we want to lighten the cheese a little, we can add two teaspoons of fresh cream). We stir well to distribute the herb and set aside.

Place the quail eggs in a saucepan, cook in plenty of water for 4-5 minutes, remove, cool under the tap and remove the shell.

After the hours of rest, we grease the pan with a little butter and start making our blinis. I personally like them a bit thick, depending on how you like them you have to put more or less batter so that they come out with the desired thickness. Once the batter is in the pan you have to wait for bubbles to start appearing on the surface, once you see them it is time to turn them over, leave them for a minute or two approximately and take them out. The heat should not be too high, cook them on medium heat.

Once our blinis are made, it is time to add the accompaniment. Using two spoons, spread the cheese with the dill, the quail egg cut in half and top with the sturgeon roe or, as in my case, these little pearls of olive oil that someone gave me and I thought that this dish was perfect for using them.

Blinis are tastier if eaten hot once made.