Blini with Smoked Salmon and Sour Cream Dressing

Blini, thin buckwheat yeast pancakes, with an orange-scented smoked salmon filling and drizzled with a delicious sour cream dressing.

Recipe Ingredients:

Blini:
1 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (.25-ounce) packet active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter - divided use

Smoked Salmon Filling:
1 cup flaked smoked salmon
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

Sour Cream Dressing:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley

Cooking Directions:

1. To prepare Blini (buckwheat pancakes): Combine milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave on HIGH in 1-minute increments until butter is melted, stirring between each minute. Cool to warm (110°F.).
2. Sprinkle yeast over surface of milk and let stand about 5 minutes to dissolve yeast.
3. In separate mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar and salt. Pour milk mixture over dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place for about an hour or until the mixture is bubbly and has expanded by about a third. (At this point, resulting batter can be refrigerated overnight and recipe completed the following day.)
4. Add eggs to batter, stirring to deflate bubbles made by yeast.
5. Heat heavy skillet over high heat; reduce heat to medium-high.
6. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet; drop small spoonfuls of batter to form small pancakes into skillet. Cook until the edges look a bit dry and small bubbles form at the surface of the pancakes. Flip to cook other side; remove from skillet when second side is browned. Stack on wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining batter until done.
7. Prepare Smoked Salmon Filling: In a small bowl, combine salmon, orange juice and peel; set aside.
8. Prepare Sour Cream Dressing: In a small bowl, combine sour cream, celery, green onion, salt and pepper; set aside.
9. To assemble: Top each blini (pancake) with a dollop of sour cream dressing; place about a tablespoon of salmon mixture on top of dressing and sprinkle with dill and additional pepper if desired.
10. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Arrange on serving platter garnished with extra dill sprigs.
    
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 30 blini.