Blini with pear cinnamon sauce

Today I’m sharing with you another variation of blini…a classic recipe using plain flour! I had some older pears and apples that needed using so I made them into a sauce to top the blini with along with some creme fraiche. I also recorded quite a simple and rustic video of how to make these so I’m going to try and share that with you guys this week when i finish editing it. In the meantime the written instructions for the recipe are below…

I’ve just added a brief explanation of the name of these below for those who don’t speak or understand Russian to clarify any confusion!

Blini  (The plural word – more than 1 crepe, so several crepes)

Blin (Single form of the noun so 1 single crepe)

Blinchiki (The diminutive of the original word – a softer ending for Blini that the Russian language has)

Let me know if you make the recipe! xx

Recipe for homemade blini with pear, apple and cinnamon sauce 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Makes: Approximately 16 blini (this will vary slightly based on the diameter/size of your pan)

Ingredients

Pear sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 pears diced (ends, core and any seeds removed)

2 small apples or 1 large apple diced (ends core and any seeds removed)

Blini batter

2 cups plain flour

3 cups milk OR 2 cups milk and any other liquid (whey or water)

1 egg

1/2 tsp bi carb soda

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 small pinch of salt

butter (approximately 70g to melt + extra 30g to top the blini)

Extra

1 small tub of creme fraiche or sour cream

Please note: If you would like to halve the recipe to make less blini then you can, but don’t halve the amount specified above for the bi carb soda and the apple cider vinegar.

Method

1. Make the pear sauce first. Place the sugar, cinnamon, diced pear and apple into a medium sized pot and mix the ingredients through together. Bring to a simmer then reduce slightly but continue to cook on a medium-high heat. Stir occasionally as the fruit begins to slightly break down and release it’s juice. Cook for 10 minutes then cover with a lid and set aside.
2. To make the blini batter, break the egg into a small bowl and combine the yolk and the whites together thoroughly. Pour into a large mixing bowl along with the milk. Sieve the flour into the bowl. Combine the bi carb soda and apple cider vinegar together in a small cup until it fizzes and transfer it into the bowl as well along with a small pinch of salt.  Whisk the ingredients together until they have completely combined and you get a super thin and silky batter, with no big clumps of flour (it’s completely fine if there are still some tiny clumps). Use a ladle to check the consistency by scooping and pouring it back into the mixing bowl then adjust the consistency if you need by adding either more flour for a slightly thicker consistency or add more liquid if you need it thinner (use more milk or water to do this – only if you would like it to be a bit thinner as various milks do vary from brand to brand.
3. To cook the blini, heat either a non stick pan or a cast iron pan (medium size) on a high heat then reduce to medium heat (I cook my blini on a number 6 – that is for an induction stove top). Meanwhile melt 70g of the butter in a small pot without overcooking it.
4. Using a kitchen brush, add a bit of the butter to the pan to thinly coat it. Use a ladle to scoop and transfer the mixture on to your pan. Pour approximately 1 ladle full (or a tiny bit less – depends on the depth of your ladle) of the batter onto one side of the pan and use your hands to swiftly move the pan in a round motion so that the batter reaches and covers the whole entire surface.
5. The first blin (crepe) is nearly always a test one – adjust seasoning and cooking temperature based on that one if needed. Cook the blini on medium heat on each side for a couple of minutes (2-3 minutes) each side, adding more butter when needed. Increase the heat if you need to or reduce it if you need to (each stove top is a bit different!). Use a metal spatula to lift and then flip it to cook on the second side. I recommend to add a fresh coating of butter for each blin and to cook each side.
6. As you cook each one, place them one by one on a plate and a bit of extra butter on the surface of each cooked blin. Layer them on top of each other.
7. Once your blini are nearly all ready, warm of some of the pear sauce. Serve the Blini with the warm sauce and a bit of creme fraiche. If you would like to also serve the blini warm then heat an oven to 180 degrees, place the layered blini on a baking paper lined tray and warm them in the oven for 10 minutes max.

Cooking tip:

Set up two pans to cook the blini faster, so that you have two cooking away at the same time.