Buckwheat Blinis With Crème Fraiche and Smoked Salmon

The blinis can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the AGA TC Refrigerator for two days, then refresh in the Roasting Oven for 3-4 minutes, cool and put on the topping, just before serving. Buckwheat flour is gluten free.

Serves 20-25

Method
Place the flour, baking powder and pepper into a bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk and almost all of the milk and mix to a smooth batter, adding the remainder of the milk if necessary (some flours absorb more liquid than others). Whisk the egg white to a soft peak stage and fold into the batter.Wipe the Simmering Plate with a little oil on a piece of kitchen paper. Drop dessertspoons of the mixture onto the Simmering Plate, when bubbles rise to the surface, turn over and cook the other side. Put to cool in a clean tea towel.

Conventional cooking
Cook in a lightly oiled frying pan on the hob. Place the pancakes on a serving plate, top each pancake with a spoon of crème fraîche and shreds of smoked salmon. Garnish with the lemon and fresh dill. For Variation: substitute prosciutto for the salmon and garnish with tiny gherkins.