Gluten Free Cocktail Blinis with Smoked Salmon Pate

Blinis are posh little dinner party pancakes that go brilliant with smoked salmon. You can buy them ready made in the shops, but they are full of wheat, which is funny because blinis originated in Russia where the original recipe called for buckwheat flour. So you are gonna have to make your own with buckwheat flour like the Russians said in the first place. Buckwheat flour is gluten free, despite the name. It comes from a plant that is from the rhubarb family and it produces seeds rather like large beach tree seeds that can be ground down to make a naturally gluten free flour substitute. Sometimes its brown, or dark brown or white.

Orgran do a brilliant gluten free buckwheat flour pancake mix, and you can make them vegan too. To make blinis with the packet half the recipe on the back and use half the flour. You will be over run with pancakes if you make the whole packet. Mix all you wet together and add bit by bit to the measured flour until you have a stretchy thick mixture. It should gloop off a metal spoon in strings. I also add a good pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar as I like them a little sweet to contrast the salmon.

To fry use a nonstick pan very lightly oiled (I use a bit of kitchen towel in veg oil to wipe oil round the pan each time). Gloop three pancakes in at a go, if your mixture is thick enough one level dessertspoon of mix will make a pancake about 4-5 cm in diameter. If they are running and becoming too big put more flour in, too fat and small add more water. Not sure what you are aiming for? have a look at the ones in the chiller section of the supermarket before you make yours, they will be with the dips and things. They should be 4-5 cm in diameter and about 5mm thick. Gloop nice and slow using the edge of your bowl, or two spoons, for perfect little rounds.

I make a load of them, pop on a plate and use cold if you are topping them all together for nibbles, or warm back up in a pan if you are letting people top them themselves with pate for a starter. You can't bung pate or smoked salmon on them warm and then leave them hanging around, that's not very food safe.

To make smoked salmon pate its very simple. This recipe makes four teeny ramekins of pate, enough for 4 as a starter, or two large ramekins one each for lunch. You will need a little blender or hand blender.

smoked salmon 200gms

cream cheese 100gms

lemon zested and juiced

black pepper freshly ground

soft butter 60gms

Chop the salmon as small as you can into little bits, mix with the cream cheese and blend lightly. I like to blend some of this mix till pink and totally mixed and mix some just for a second, this way you get nice pink salmon bits in your pate and not just pink mush. Next stir in your soft butter, juice of half the lemon, some lemon zest and lots of black pepper. Your pate is done! I like to squash this into little ramekins and then top with melted butter like you would with potted prawns, along with a sprig of dill, looks kinda pretty. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins before you serve.

So to serve as a starter just pop the little ramekin on a plate for each person and a few blinis around the edge to top themselves.

For a dinner party you can just bob a bit of salmon on each blini and top with some creme fraiche flavoured with lemon zest and a grind of pepper, sprinkled with dill. Or top with the pate once the blinis are cold.

The pancake mix can also be used to make normal thin pancakes. To do this make the mixture really watery, you are going to have to make one and then add more flour or water to get the mix right, but its gotta be pretty watery so you don't get thick rubbery pancakes. Make sure your pan is lightly oiled as before and you shouldn't have any problems, these can be used just like normal pancakes on pancake day. I would still add the salt and sugar as per my blini recipe, and even add some melted butter to the mix if you would like them a bit richer (cut the salt down if using salted butter).

So, my gluten free buffet recipes are coming on... we have the Thai crab cakes as per below, the blinis, and I have in my head a host of other recipes including some tuna nibbles, something cool with watermelon and feta, and another recipe I made last week which are little South American corn cakes with blue cheese! I will post a dinner party nibbles list soon, there are loads of recipes in my head, I just need to get them all typed up here.