Tapas to die for

SOMEBODY recently posted the headline ‘Tapas to die for’ on TripAdvisor for our Little Geranium Restaurant in La Cala and it got me thinking…

Years ago, when I was on Ready Steady Cook I said out loud ‘this recipe is to die for’. It was live TV and afterwards we had a complaint.

Apparently an old lady had been so excited with the recipe she jumped with joy and… well, passed away. I felt somewhat responsible!

Seriously though, there is nothing nicer than the soft flavours of smoked salmon coupled with sour cream, the saltiness of caviar and the tartness of caper berries. (Especially when it is home smoked which is what I do on my BBQ after curing it first.)

Enjoy this wonderful tapas and try a glass of Alborino or Cava with it!

Smoked salmon Blinis with caper berries & caviar

Ingredients for approx. 12 blinis (4cm)

For the blinis:

Plain flour 100g
Semi-skimmed milk 250ml
1 free-range egg separated
White sugar 15g
Salt 3g
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Olive oil 1 tablespoon

For the topping and garnish:

Sour cream (about 100ml ) or Nata para Montar whisked up and seasoned with a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoned with salt
About 250 grams of good quality smoked salmon
1 tablespoon of caper berries (with stalks on if possible)
A little balsamic syrup
Rocket leaves and fresh herbs
Approx 1 dessert spoon of Avruga Caviar (herring roe… optional)
Fresh lemon/lime to squeeze over to finish

Method

Leave the milk out of the fridge for half an hour before you start so it is room temperature.
Sift the flour through a fine sieve and add to the milk.

Add the bicarbonate of soda and whisk until smooth. Add the egg yolk, sugar and salt and keep whisking until smooth.

Now whisk up the egg white and add this, folding in to make sure there are no lumps and then run the mixture through a sieve.

Add the vegetable oil and stir. Cover with cling film for 30 minutes at room temperature.

The best way to cook blinis is to use a cast iron blini pan – but any heavy-bottomed pan will do, you can then cut each blini into small 4cm rounds.

Get the pan very hot, and using a ladle put 2 tbsp of the mixture into the corner of the pan and tip from side to side until it has covered the surface and is as thin as possible – Flip the blini and cook for approx 15 seconds.

Tip gently on to a plate and make your next blini. Each time you finish one, spread a little soft butter on the top side to keep them soft and prevent them sticking together.

Serve them warm topped with a little sour cream and then top with folds of smoked salmon and Avruga Caviar.

Garnish with rocket leaves, fresh herbs and caper berries, then season with a little black pepper (freshly ground) and a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon.

Add a drizzle of balsamic syrup and top with caviar (optional) to garnish and serve!

Steven Saunders FMCGB

www.thelittlegeranium.com
steven@thelittlegeranium.com
0034 722 232 274