Shake up your regular blinis by using gluten-free chickpea flour instead! Top them with smoked salmon for an elegant appetizer, or treat yourself to a fancy lunch!
'Appetizers for Lunch' is the new 'Breakfast for Dinner'! I felt the need to zhuzh things up a bit around here, no doubt inspired by the Golden Globes last Sunday. The awards made me reminisce about cocktail parties, the wine & cheese evenings of yore, and having friends over in general.
So, with a nostalgic tear in my eye, I put on my diamonds and my highest heels, and made a platter of these Chickpea Blinis with Smoked Salmon for lunch. Just kidding about the diamonds and heels. I wore pearls and a simple tiara. 😉
But back to the blinis, these quickly got me over my slump! There’s something about the canvas of a blini with a dollop of cold sour cream and smoked salmon that I just love. Lots of different food textures and flavors come together with each bite - a perfect trinity.
I used chickpea flour instead of regular flour as I had a huge stash of it. It's a great #glutenfree option and worked really well with the overall dish! Slightly nutty, but neutral enough to work with all those flavors.
So now that I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch (in my finest jeans and favorite hoop earrings), I feel slightly more optimistic. I think I created enough of a party in my kitchen to get me through yet another weekend of take-out sushi and family movie night, which is all good too. xoxo Kirsty
Ingredients for 3-4 servings
1 cup (120g) chickpea flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (236ml) water
2 tsp (10ml) extra virgin olive oil
oil or butter for frying
To serve
Smoked salmon
1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraîche
chives, lemon and flaky salt to garnish
In a medium bowl, combine the chickpea flour with the salt. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Stir in the olive oil and let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes.
Whilst the batter is resting, chop the chives and set aside for later.
Brush or spray a skillet (or your favorite pancake pan) with olive oil or butter and set over medium heat. When the pan is hot, use a tablespoon to scoop spoonfuls of batter onto the hot skillet. Aim for small rounds, around 2 inches (5cm). You should be able to get 7 or 8 blinis onto the pan at once.
Cook for a minute or so, until you see the tops start to bubble, then loosen each blini to flip over. Cook for another minute before transferring to a platter. Repeat until you’ve used all the batter.
To serve, use a teaspoon to dollop a little sour cream onto each blini, and top with a slice of smoked salmon. Sprinkle with a generous helping of chives, a squeeze of lemon and some flaky sea salt.
