Corn Blinis Filled With Brandade Recipes

BLINIS

Steps:

• Cream the yeast with a little milk, then add the remaining milk, the egg yolks and sour cream.
• Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and add the yeast mixture. Stir to make a thick batter. Leave for at least 1 hour in a warm place. The batter should now look bubbly. Stir well. Just before cooking, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
• Heat a little oil in the pan and pour off any excess. Then pour in a tablespoon of batter. Turn the pancake over when it shows bubbles on the top side. Cook lots. One bliny is never enough.

WHITE BEAN BRANDADE

Steps:

• For the beans: Quarter the carrot, onion, and celery. In a 4-quart saucepan, sweat the vegetables and garlic with the bacon for 3 minutes. Add the beans and cover with twice the volume of chicken stock or cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours or until soft. Remove from heat and cool in liquid. Remove vegetables and bacon, and drain well. Makes about 1 quart of beans. For the brandade: Place the cooked beans, anchovies, Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add olive oil in a steady stream while blending. Season with salt and freshly cracked white pepper.

SWEET CORN BLINI

Steps:

• Put flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Grind 1 cup corn kernels to a rough purée in a food processor, then add egg and yogurt, and pulse to mix. Add corn mixture to flour mixture and stir together until just mixed to make a thick batter. Stir in 4 tablespoons melted butter. Set aside for 5 minutes. Thin with a little milk if necessary. (Batter may be prepared several hours ahead.)
• Warm remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 1 minute or so to heat through. Keep warm.
• Put greased griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Using 1 tablespoon batter, make pancakes about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook for 1 minute, until bubbles appear on surface and pancakes are lightly browned. Flip and cook for 30 seconds more. (Be sure to keep heat moderate or else the pancakes will blacken.) Pancakes may be cooked in advance and reheated.
• To serve, place 3 hot pancakes on small plate. Top with spoonful of cooked corn and some of the butter from the pan. Drizzle with crème fraîche and sprinkle with chives.

RUSTIC CORN BLINI WITH HAM SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Pulse the corn in a blender until almost smooth, leaving some visible kernels, then add the milk and puree until smooth. Transfer the corn mixture to a bowl and whisk in the butter and egg. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until well blended. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
• While the batter rests, pulse the ham in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer the ham to a bowl and add the mayonnaise, onions, lemon juice, paprika, celery and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
• Heat a griddle or heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot, then lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Working in batches, pour 1 teaspoon batter per pancake onto the griddle and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and the undersides are golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until the undersides are golden brown, about 1 minute more. (Reduce the heat if the pancakes brown too quickly.) Lightly coat the griddle with cooking spray between batches, if necessary.
• To serve, top the warm pancakes with 1 teaspoon ham salad and garnish with a parsley or celery leaf.

BEET AND CARROT BLINIS

Steps:

• For the pickled carrots: Shave the carrot into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, refresh in cold water, then place on a clean tea towel or paper towel to get rid of excess water.
• In a large bowl, mix together the mirin, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil, agave and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add the carrot ribbons and toss to coat in the marinade. Set to one side to infuse for about 30 minutes.
• For the blinis: Sift the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, beetroot powder and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and then pour in the plant-based milk and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and whisk until it forms a smooth batter. If the mixture is a little thick, add a tablespoon more of the milk.
• Heat a lightly greased large frying pan over low heat. (Test if the pan is hot enough by using a drop of batter and see if it sizzles). Drop teaspoons of the batter into the hot pan, swirling with the back of the spoon to slightly flatten the batter into even circles. As soon as bubbles appear on the top, about 1 minute, flip over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from the pan and put on a serving plate. Fry the remaining batter in batches. Allow to cool.
• To serve: Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the vegan cream cheese on top of each blini. Roll a ribbon of carrot around your finger and place on top. Garnish with micro herbs and serve.