Crêpes (Russian Blini)

russian-bilini2 Russian crêpes (blini), also known as blinis or blinchiki, are near and dear to the people of Russia and the former USSR. Because they're so tasty and versatile they absolutely need to be shared with the world. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, they are sure to become an instant favourite for any meal. The ingredients, though humble, create the foundation of something incredible. Fill Russian crêpes with sweet or savoury fillings and eat to your heart’s content. A Russian Blini is what I want pancakes to be: more savoury than sweet. In North America, when we think of a Russian blini, we commonly associate them with small buckwheat-flour pancakes, to be paired with smoked fish and caviar. Buckwheat blini are served in Russia, but, according to Anya von Bremzen in Please to the Table, you're more likely to find them made with regular flour there, and they're usually much larger than the silver-dollar versions served in Western Europe and in North America.

1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (400 g)
½ tsp. kosher or sea salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
3 1/3 cups milk, warmed (800 mL)
½ cups cream (100 mL)
5 Tbsp. butter
sunflower or Canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, sugar and baking soda. Add eggs, milk and cream. Use a paddle attachment of your mixer or food processor to mix the batter until smooth. The consistency of the batter should be a bit thicker than cream with no lumps.

Heat two pans over high heat. Melt butter and add it to the batter. Blend until smooth.

Pour a tiny bit of sunflower oil in both pans (you can use a silicon brush to spread it). Use a scoop or a ladle to pour the batter in the middle of the pan. Acting quickly, tilt the pan from side to side while pouring, forming a circle with the batter.

Flip the pancake over with a thin spatula, after the surface looks porous and sides are golden. Fry for half of the time you fried the first side. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

You might want to put them in the warm oven (not warmer then 160°F/70°C) to keep them hot before serving.

Cook's Notes:

Store blini covered in the fridge for about 3 days.
You can freeze them for up to 3 months. To reheat, bring to a room temperature and microwave or heat stalked blini in the pan, 5-6 pancakes at a time.
Use 2 or 3 frying pans if you are tight on time.
Some of the traditional savory fillings include minced meat, cheese, ham, mushrooms, smoked salmon, caviar and sour cream.
Sweet fillings include but are not limited to jams, chocolate cream, poppy seeds, condensed milk (sgushenka), berries, honey, sweetened cottage cheese, apples and cinnamon or any other sweet.

Variations:

To make Russian pancakes gluten free, use the same amount of buckwheat flour.
To make blini more nutritious, use a 1:1 ratio of all-purpose and whole wheat flour.
Beer or kefir can be substituted for milk.
Use same amounts of dairy-free milk and a flax egg to make blini vegan.
To make this Russian blini recipe lighter, skip the cream and butter and add same amounts of warm water instead.