Beet Blini with Butternut Squash Ribbons
These colourful cocktail bites bring together seasonal flavours in the most delightful way. Did you know that butternut squash is technically a fruit? Its natural sweetness pairs beautifully with the earthiness of the beet blini, creating a perfectly balanced bite. Enjoy this appetizer with Absolut Vodka.Ingredients
Serves 6-8
⅓ cup (80 ml) warm water (about 110 F/43 C)
½ tsp (2.5 ml) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) active dry yeast
⅔ cup (160 ml) buckwheat flour or oat flour
⅔ cup (160 ml) all-purpose flour
½ tsp (2.5 ml) fine sea salt
5 oz (150 ml) buttermilk, plus more if needed
7 oz (200 g) boiled beets, roughly chopped
1 large egg, separated, divided
2 tbsp + ¼ cup (90 ml) unsalted butter, divided
⅓ cup (80 ml) dried cranberries
2 tbsp (30 ml) red wine vinegar
½ tsp (2.5 ml) red pepper chili flakes
2 tbsp (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
½ small butternut squash, peeled and seeded
2 green onions, trimmed
¼ cup (60 ml) packed fresh mint leaves
¼ cup (60 ml) toasted pecans, roughly chopped
kosher salt and finely ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz (110 g) goat’s cheese, room temperature
Instructions
- Start by making beet blini. In a small bowl, stir water, sugar and yeast. Let stand, allowing yeast to bloom, for 8 to 10 minutes. If mixture does not become foamy and frothy, yeast may be inactive and you will need to repeat this step with a new pack of yeast.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flours and sea salt. Set aside.
- In a blender, blend buttermilk, beets and egg yolk until smooth. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tbsp (30 ml) butter and set aside.
- Make a well in centre of dry ingredients and add bloomed yeast mixture, beet mixture and melted butter. Whisk until a smooth batter forms. Cover bowl with a tea towel and set aside for 1 hour. Once batter has rested, it should have consistency of pancake batter. Whisk in more buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, if too thick.
- Meanwhile, make brown butter. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until milk solids separate and start to turn a deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately strain through a fine-mesh strainer, separating milk solids from remaining liquid fat (called clarified butter). Set both aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk egg white until soft peaks form. Gently fold into rested batter.
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan or cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 ml) reserved clarified butter and swirl to coat bottom of pan. Working in batches, dollop rounded teaspoons of blini batter into pan, leaving at least 2-in (5 cm) between each blini. Cook until bubbles start to break surface of blini, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook for another minute. Transfer blini to a plate and continue cooking remaining batter. Blini can be cooked and stored in an airtight container in freezer for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in refrigerator before gently warming for a few minutes in oven at 350 F (175 C).
- For butternut squash topping, start by making a dressing. In a medium bowl, combine dried cranberries and red wine vinegar and let macerate for 30 minutes. Add chili flakes, olive oil and reserved browned milk solids from brown butter. Whisk with a fork until well combined.
- Using a vegetable peeler, shave squash into very thin ribbons. Place in a large bowl and add green onions. Drizzle with cranberry brown butter dressing and toss gently to combine. Add mint and pecans, toss again and season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Plate blini on a serving platter and top with a smear of goat’s cheese and a tangle of butternut squash ribbons.