2000s Recipes + Menus

Caviar and Salmon Blini Tortes
Serves2
- Active Time:50 min
- Start to Finish:50 min
February 2008
With sustainability in mind, we taste-tested a variety of domestic caviars. Trout roe had the pop and brininess we were looking forand it was especially pretty.
For egg salad
- 1 hard-boiled large egg, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
For blini
- 2 tablespoons buckwheat flour
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 large egg, separated
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled, divided
For filling
- 1/4 lb thinly sliced smoked salmon at room temperature
- 2 oz trout caviar, such as rainbowtrout caviar*, or salmon roe
-
Garnish:
sour cream; chopped chives
Make egg salad:
-
Stir together all ingredients and a pinch of salt.
Make blini:
-
Whisk together dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and yolk and whisk until smooth.
-
Beat egg white with a clean whisk in another bowl until it just holds soft peaks. Fold into batter along with 2 tablespoons melted butter.
-
Brush a 12-inch nonstick skillet with some of remaining melted butter, then heat over medium heat until hot. Working in batches of 6 or 7, drop 1 level tablespoon batter per pancake into skillet and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip over and cook 1 minute more. Brush blini on both sides with some of remaining melted butter, then transfer to a plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Brush skillet with butter between batches.
Fill tortes:
-
Drape smoked salmon on 6 blini and top with egg salad. Spoon caviar onto 6 more blini, then stack on egg-salad-topped blini.
Cooks note: Egg salad can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to cool room temperature before using.
*Domestic caviar is available at specialty markets and Sunburnt Trout Company (800-673-3051).
*Domestic caviar is available at specialty markets and Sunburnt Trout Company (800-673-3051).
- Keywords
- lillian chou,
- breakfast,
- pancake,
- seafood,
- salmon
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