Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams

Every Christmas, my father-in-law makes these delicious blinis (which as far as I can tell are just mini-Russian pancakes) with caviar and smoked salmon.  I had actually never had caviar until I had it at my in-laws house.  And boy, as with all things of luxury, was it a slippery slope.  It was so delicious and decadent and I was immediately hooked.  Until, that is, I found out that caviar costs upwards of $100 for an ounce.

Since over at my house life is more along the lines of "champagne taste on a beer budget" than the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous that Robin Leach was always talking about, I have never before attempted to make this dish.  But since Christmas I have been craving it and I decided to give it a shot by making my own poor man's rendition.  I of course bought the least expensive caviar that I could find, which was $9.99 for two ounces (the most expensive part of this meal thank you very much):

I scoured the internet for blini recipes and all of them called for buckwheat flour which I could not find for the life of me, even after going to 3 different grocery stores, so I gave up and bought whole wheat flour.  I really didn't notice a difference.

To make the blini batter, whisk together the following ingredients in a large bowl:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk (I used soy)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

until it looks smooth and light brown, like so:

Pour the batter into a frying pan over medium-low heat by the 1/8 cup full (about 2 Tbsp).  Cook for about 2 minutes before flipping - you will know when they are ready to flip when tiny bubbles rise to the surface, like so:

Cook for about another minute and then transfer to a plate.  Cover with a paper towel to keep warm.

Don't get discouraged if your first few come out a bit wonky looking - I had the same problem:

But with some practice, I eventually got the hang of it:

Top the blinis with smoked salmon, sour cream, chopped fresh chives, and caviar:

Go ahead and serve them with a glass of champagne (or if you're budget conscious like me, cava) and toast to your resourcefulness at making a beautiful looking yet budget conscious meal.  Cheers!