- 225g/4oz buckwheat/wholewheat flour
- 225g/4oz plain flour
- pinch salt
- 2 free-range eggs, plus 2 free-range egg whites
- 45g/1½oz fresh yeast
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 700ml/1 pint 5fl oz warm milk
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 4 red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeds removed
- 225g/4oz soured cream
- 1 tbsp creamed horseradish from a jar
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
- ½ lemon, juice only
- 12 black olives
- freshly ground black pepper
- For the blinis, sift the buckwheat (or wholewheat) flour and plain flour into a bowl and mix with a pinch of salt.
- Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and add the two whole eggs and one of the egg whites. Whisk from the centre outwards to create a thick paste.
- In a separate bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and milk and leave to stand for a couple of minutes.
- Gradually pour the yeast mixture into the flour and egg mixture, whisking constantly, to make a smooth batter.
- Add the melted butter and stir well.
- Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for one hour.
- Just before cooking the blinis, whisk the remaining egg white in a clean bowl until light, then fold into the batter.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Pour enough batter into the pan to make a 10cm/4in diameter blini.
- When bubbles start to appear on the surface of the batter, turn the blini over and cook the other side.
- Remove the blini from the pan and keep warm while you make the rest of the blinis in the same way.
- For the topping, slice the roasted red peppers into strips.
- Spoon the soured cream, horseradish, tarragon and lemon into a bowl and mix well.
- Spoon one tablespoon of the cream mixture onto each blini and top with some of the red pepper pieces.
- Top each blini with an olive and season with freshly ground black pepper.