Blinis are a great appetizer and this a little change from the classic salmon blinis. The spicy aubergine topping is called in similar recipes caviar and it could be also used as a dip, or a sauce (like for example on pasta) or really anything you like.
If you are into meal-prepping, a great idea would be to make the aubergine mix and store in a container in the fridge and you could take it out anytime you like to jazz your meal up. Also, you can make the aubergine caviar in advance and then make your blinis at the last minute.
The aubergine caviar is really delicious thanks to the hotness from the chillies but it really isn't over-powering so when eating the mix, you can also taste the provincial side to it; that is thanks to the oregano and basil.
The mix of the bouncy and fluffy blinis with the flavoursome aubergine mix on top and the cold refreshing mini dollop of crème fraîche on top work great together and let's not forget the small basil leaf to add extra freshness to the bite.
All together this aubergine concoction is super tasty with the mix of all the flavors and has many purposes.
Check out the recipe on the blog for the classic elegant salmon, crème fraîche & chive blinis here.
Ingredients
For the aubergine caviar:
1 large aubergine
1/2 a chilly, chopped into tiny pieces
2 shallots, chopped thinly
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons oregano
olive oil
around 5 basil leaves, to taste + some to garnish
2 large tablespoons of Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche
For the blinis:
60 grams whole-wheat flour
60 grams plain flour
2 eggs, separated
1 pinch of salt
100 ml milk of choice
120 ml water
50 grams melted unsalted butter
Recipe
For the aubergine caviar:
Prick the whole aubergine with a fork and cook in the oven at 200°C for 50 minutes, turning it over halfway through.
Once the aubergine is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool. The slice it length-ways and scrape out with a spoon all the flesh into a food processor.
Add to the food-processor the chopped tomato + chopped shallots + chopped chilly + crushed garlic + oregano + basil leaves + a drizzle of olive oil and blitz to obtain a smooth consistency.
Season with salt + pepper to taste and add in the Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche and blitz one last time. Adding in a little more olive oil if needed.
Reserve.
For the blinis:
Sift your flours + salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix until combined.
In a jug, whisk your milk + water + egg yolks + melted butter until fully combined.
Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients.
Gradually pour your wet ingredients into your dry, whisking continuously at the same time, making the circle your whisk is making gradually bigger to incorporate more flour.
Mix until just incorporated and then add your egg whites.(Adding your egg whites separately from your egg yolks makes the pancakes fluffier)
Whisk until combined.
Place your mixture into a jug.
Heat a large flat-bottom pan or griddle with a bit of butter and spread it around the pan with a pastry brush.
Once the pan is really hot, measure out a tablespoon of mixture and place it on the pan.
Continue doing so until there is no space left on the pan (make sure to space the mini-pancakes out to make sure they won't touch each other).
Once you see little bubbles appearing at the surface of the pancakes, then they are ready to flip.
Cook for about 30 seconds on each side, a little less on the second side than the first.
Once cooked, place on a rack to cool.
To top:
Spread your aubergine caviar on the blinis, top with a small dollop of Greek yoghurt or crème fraîche and garnish with a little basil leaf.
Voilà! A delicious and different appetizer to wow your guests.
Before you leave, don't forget to:
Check out the new Baking Glossary on the blog if you are unsure of any baking terms.
Check out the new videos, find them on the Website Home.
Subscribe to receive notifications when another post goes up.
Tag me on Instagram if you recreate a recipe from the blog, @decadent_foodblog to get a shoutout.
Kommentare