Beluga Lentil Caviar On Blini Recipes

BRAISED BLACK LENTILS

Steps:

• Melt butter in olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Cook and stir onion, carrot, celery, and salt until vegetables are softened and onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add thyme sprigs and pepper. Stir in lentils until well coated. Add chicken stock and bring to a gentle simmer.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, checking occasionally, until the lentils are tender and have absorbed all the liquid, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat and discard thyme stems. Stir in champagne vinegar and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BELUGA LENTIL CAVIAR ON BLINI

Steps:

• Make the beluga lentil caviar: Rinse the lentils and put them in a small pot with the water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
• Drain the cooked lentils and place them in medium bowl. Add the salt, capers, and caper brine. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, and a maxi¬mum of 2 days.
• Make the vegan sauce: Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Miso Mayo in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
• Make the blini: In a medium bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Whisk the nondairy milk and melted butter into the flour until a batter forms. Allow the batter to rest a few minutes.
• Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a small dab of butter to the pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. To form each blin, pour a little more than a tablespoon of batter into the pan. You can usually cook 4 to 6 blini at a time. Wait until the pancakes begin to show air bubbles all over the tops and the bottoms are brown. Flip the blini over and cook until golden brown.
• Using the back of a spoon, spread a small amount of the Vegan Sour "Cream" on each blin, add a teaspoon of the beluga lentil caviar, and top with a pinch of minced chives. Serve immediately.

BELUGA LENTIL CAVIAR ON BUCKWHEAT BLINIS

Steps:

• In fine-meshed sieve, rinse lentils, removing any tiny stones and debris. In small saucepan, bring 2 cups (500 mL) water and 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt to a boil. Add rinsed lentils. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or just until lentils are tender but still hold their shape. It's best to be slightly undercooked. Drain well and transfer to medium-sized bowl. Add red pepper and onion and gently fold together. Set lentils aside to cool while making blinis.
• In medium-sized bowl, combine all-purpose and buckwheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to blend. In small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, oil and lemon juice. Add to dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
• Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside. Lightly brush large nonstick frying pan with a little oil. Heat pan over medium just until a drop of water bounces when added.
• Drop batter, 1 Tbsp (15 mL) at a time, into hot frying pan, leaving space in between. You want batter thin enough so each blini will spread out to about 2 in (5 cm) in diameter as it cooks. If batter appears too thick, whisk in a tiny splash of additional milk.
• Cook blini until bubbles form on the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip with thin spatula and continue to cook for 1 more minute, until light golden brown. Transfer to lined baking sheet in single layer. Add a piece of parchment between layers as needed. Cover and set aside. Blinis can be refrigerated up to a day.
• To serve, top blinis with equal amounts of yogurt, lentil mixture, capers, a pinch of za'atar, and a sprinkling of chives.

BELUGA LENTIL 'CAVIAR' WITH POTATO BLINI

Steps:

• 1 For the "caviar": Rinse the lentils
• 2 Combine them with the water, kombu and salt in a small pot over medium-high heat
• 3 Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture is barely bubbling around the edges; cover and cook until the lentils are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes
• 4 Allow the lentils to cool in the liquid
• 5 Discard the kombu, then drain the lentils and stir in the olive oil
• 6 For the blini: Combine the potato, water and butter in a microwave-safe dish; cover and microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes, until the potato is tender
• 7 Cool
• 8 Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl
• 9 Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a small bowl
• 10 Run the cooled potato mixture through a ricer into the bowl with the flour mixture
• 11 (If you don't have a ricer, mash very thoroughly with a potato masher or fork
• 12 ) Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour-potato mixture
• 13 Pour 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium heat
• 14 Once it shimmers, add batter 1 tablespoon at a time to form small pancakes
• 15 (You'll be able to fit about 5 blini at a time in a 12-inch skillet
• 16 ) Cook until bubbles form all over the blinis' surface and the blini are deeply browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes; carefully flip and cook on the second side, then transfer to a plate
• 17 Working in batches, cook the remaining blini, adding oil to the pan between batches if it looks dry
• 18 To assemble, top each blini with crème fraîche and a teaspoon of beluga lentils
• 19 Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, if desired, and garnish with fresh dill

EASY BLINI (RUSSIAN PANCAKE)

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.
• Whisk 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, egg, and 1 tablespoon melted butter together in a separate bowl. Mix into the flour mixture until batter is fully combined.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Drop batter, 1 tablespoon at a time, onto the heated skillet. Cook until bubbles form, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until brown, about 1 minute more. Lay on plate lined with a paper towel to help soak up excess butter. Repeat with the remaining batter.