recipe: buckwheat blinis for brunch!

I adore going out for brunch with my friends or family.  I usually stick to my two favourite options - either pancakes with fruit or smoked salmon with a muffin topped with hollandaise sauce (yum!) 

So when I discovered this simple recipe by Sophie Dahl, combining two of favourite options I knew I just had to attempt this at home!

Buckwheat blinis with scrambled egg and smoked salmon

Ingredients

For the blinis

• 85g/3oz buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 70g/2½oz cheddar cheese, grated
• small handful chopped fresh chives
• 2 free-range egg whites
• pinch salt
• knob of unsalted butter

For the scrambled eggs

• 4 free range or organic eggs (plus 2 free-range egg yolks)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• knob of unsalted butter

To serve

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 250g/9oz smoked salmon
• 1 lemon cut into wedges

Preparation method

1. For the blinis, mix together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper and the milk to make a smooth batter.
2. Add the mustard powder, cheddar and chives and mix until well combined.
3. In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
   
   Gradually fold the whisked egg whites into the batter mixture using a metal spoon.
4. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat, and spoon large tablespoons of the batter into the pan to make medium sized pancakes, about 10cm/4in in diameter.
5. Fry the blinis, in batches, for 2-3 minutes until small bubbles appear on the surface and the underside looks cooked. Turn the blinis over and cook on the other side for a further 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown. Keep warm.
6. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up.
7. For the scrambled eggs, whisk the eggs in a bowl, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat, then pour in the eggs, stirring a little to break the eggs up slightly as they set. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and set the eggs aside to finish cooking for a further 1-2 minutes.
9. To serve, place two blinis onto each of four serving plates, spoon on the scrambled eggs, and sprinkle over the chopped chives. Arrange the smoked salmon on the side, and finish with the lemon wedges

                                                                 and enjoy with fresh juice!

                                                       What do you love having for brunch?

                                                                               xx