SUNDAY DESSERT #51: Blini
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Russia
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy, with practice
INSPIRATION: In Russia, New Year’s Eve is the biggest and most popular holiday of the year. It’s even bigger than Christmas! If you were to walk into any Russian home on this night, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see and smell the making of blini (roughly pronounced ‘blee-nee’). What better way to celebrate our own New Year than with this delicate, Russian pancake?!
RECEPTION/COMMENTARY: I love blini and make them all the time. It’s my daughter’s favorite breakfast choice! There are many varieties of blini batter, some even using yeast. But the kind I like the best, and keep coming back to, is more like a modified French crêpe recipe. And, actually, there isn’t too much of a difference between a crêpe and a blin (blin being the singular form). While crêpes use all-purpose flour, blini is usually made with wheat or buckwheat flour. But really it will work with all-purpose flour, too. And the best part of making these is that they never get boring! You can eat them plain or fill them with anything you like! A filled blin is called blinchiki and it can be sweet, savory, or a combo. But, obviously, sweet is the way to go if you’re more in the mood for a dessert. It’s such a marvelous breakfast choice that I highly recommend! They are a 10/10 for our family.
By the way, the Russians have this idiomatic saying that “the first blin always turns out lumpy” or awful. Kind of like life when you try things for the first time, eh? How’s that for a philosophical dessert?! I have made this recipe beyond a dozen times and that saying is absolutely true! The first one always turns out kind of blackened from the hot grease hitting the pan for the first time. All the other blini after that turn out beautiful! So, if you decide to make this, don’t fret if your first one looks terrible. It’s got to be a pretty common problem if the Russians made a proverb out of it. Therefore, consider it a sign that you are doing it right!
WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN: Yes. And I will for years to come. Happy New Year everyone!
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