flipElsa-Style Cream Blinis
Elsa-Style Cream Blinis
Why this dish? Elsa Triolet, Aragon's companion and muse ("The Eyes of Elsa"), was Russian by birth. Their stays in Moscow and Elsa's Slavic soul brought blinis and smetana to their table, a Franco-Russian celebration in the heart of Paris.
Small thick buckwheat pancakes, soft and slightly tangy from the yeast, served warm with sour cream and smoked fish. The heart of a Russian festive table transplanted to Paris.
Elsa, my eyes of Elsa… she brought Russia into our Paris kitchen. The blinis, you have to let them breathe, the dough must rise slowly like a secret you keep. Serve them warm, a dollop of cream, and you think of the Moscow nights. I never knew how to make the dough as well as she did, but I always knew how to watch her do it.
- •Buckwheat and wheat flour — equal parts (base of the batter)
- •Baker's yeast — a little (leavening)
- •Warm milk — as needed (liquid)
- •Eggs — a few (binder)
- •Smetana (sour cream) — generous (topping)
- •Herring or smoked fish — as desired (savory topping)
Elsa-Style Cream Blinis
Small thick buckwheat pancakes, soft and slightly tangy from the yeast, served warm with sour cream and smoked fish. The heart of a Russian festive table transplanted to Paris.
Why this dish? Elsa Triolet, Aragon's companion and muse ("The Eyes of Elsa"), was Russian by birth. Their stays in Moscow and Elsa's Slavic soul brought blinis and smetana to their table, a Franco-Russian celebration in the heart of Paris.
Elsa, my eyes of Elsa… she brought Russia into our Paris kitchen. The blinis, you have to let them breathe, the dough must rise slowly like a secret you keep. Serve them warm, a dollop of cream, and you think of the Moscow nights. I never knew how to make the dough as well as she did, but I always knew how to watch her do it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Buckwheat and wheat flour — equal parts (base of the batter)
- Baker's yeast — a little (leavening)
- Warm milk — as needed (liquid)
- Eggs — a few (binder)
- Smetana (sour cream) — generous (topping)
- Herring or smoked fish — as desired (savory topping)
Ingredients
- Buckwheat flour — 100 g (base of the batter)
- Wheat flour — 100 g (base of the batter)
- Fresh baker's yeast — 10 g (leavening)
- Warm milk — 250 ml (liquid)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Thick crème fraîche — 200 g (topping)
- Smoked salmon or herring — 150 g (savory topping)
- Butter — for cooking (fat)
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in warm milk, mix with flours and salt, cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Stir in the egg yolks, then fold in stiffly beaten egg whites for an airy batter.
- Cook small ladlefuls of batter in a buttered pan, about 1 minute per side, until golden.
- Serve warm, topped with thick cream and smoked fish.
How it was made : Traditional Russian blinis were made with yeast and rested for several hours, sometimes with two types of flour. In Franco-Russian homes in Paris, they accompanied tea from the samovar and émigré gatherings.
The contemporary twist : A mini-tower of stacked blinis, lemon-dill cream, for a Sunday brunch that salutes both the Seine and the Volga.
Louis Aragon · Charactorium
