Buckwheat blinis with sunflower cream cheese and caviar lentils

It took me a really long time to finally write down this recipe! I remember last year when I prepared these pancakes for a family summer-party in the countryside. I remember how excited I was, running around the house, carrying a huge plate with this buckwheat pancakes with creamy sunflower seeds cheese and shiny black lentils with sprigs of dill on top. I was serving blinis to all the guests like crazy, wanting to get as much feedback as possible. And I think everyone liked it, because I decided that I have to write down the recipe on the next day. And although I did it a year later, I’m glad I did, because the blinis brought back really nice memories.

Buckwheat pancakes (about 20 small pancakes)

  • 2 cups of buckwheat flour
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of warm water
  • 4 tbsps of rapeseed or sunflower oil
  • 7g (one pack) of dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp of sugar
  • 1 tsp of salt

Sunflower seeds cream cheese

  • 1 cup of sunflower seeds soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
  • 3 tbsp of linseed oil
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 2 tbsp of apple or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp of sweet syrup (e.g. agave)
  • about 2/3 cup of water

Black lentils a’la caviar

  • 1 cup of dry black lentils
  • 2 glasses of water
  • a good pinch of salt
  • 6 tbsps of linseed oil
  • 1 tbsp of delicate mustard
  • 1 full tbsp of chopped capers
  • 3 tbsps of soy sauce
  • 3 tbsps of apple or white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsps of sweet syrup (e.g. agave)
  • a good pinch of salt
  • lots of freshly ground pepper
  • optional: nori sheet

To serve:

Dill, freshly ground pepper, lemon juice

Buckwheat blinis

  1. In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar and salt. Add flour and oil, mix everything thoroughly.
  2. Let the dough rise for at least 30 minutes. It can also be 2 or 3 hours. Blinis taste best when freshly prepared.
  3. On a non-stick frying pan, fry the blinis. Put a full tablespoon of the dough on and medium heat, let them fry for a minute or two on both sides.

Sunflower seeds cream cheese

  1. Place the soaked sunflower seeds in a blender vessel and blend for a minute to get a thick mass. Then add all other ingredients except water.
  2. Blend the cream cheese again for a minute or two. When the ingredients are combined, add water and keep blending until you get a creamy consistency. It is worth preparing a slightly thinner cheese spread, as it will thicken a bit over time.

Black lentils a’la caviar

  1. Boil a glass of lentils in two glasses of water. Add a pinch of salt and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes, until cooked, but not too soft.
  2. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce: oil, vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, capers, pepper, salt, sweet syrup. For a more „fishy” flavor, add a sheet of nori algae.
  3. Mix the cooked lentils (drained if necessary) with the sauce. Try it & add more sour or salty ingredients if needed.
  4. Marinate the prepared lentils with the sauce for at least 10 minutes. You can also keep it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days – flavor will be more “powerful” with time.

How to serve blinis?

  1. Spread the freshly fried pancakes with the sunflower cream cheese.
  2. Place a tablespoon of chilled black lentils on top of the sunflower spread.
  3. Serve with dill, freshly ground pepper, a little splash of lemon juice and a glass of white wine. 

Still hungry?