Blinis with Smoked Salmon or Gravlax

90 g unsalted butter

⅓ cup buckwheat flour

⅔ cup plain flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 large egg

¾ cup milk, or use a mixture of half buttermilk, half milk

250 g smoked salmon slices or gravlax

⅓ cup crème fraîche or light sour cream

2 tablespoons baby capers

sprigs of watercress or dill

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

lemon wedges, for squeezing over

Melt the butter and skim off most of the white foam that rises to the surface. Sift the buckwheat and plain flours with the salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, milk and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Whisk the wet ingredients together, gradually drawing in the dry ingredients, until a smooth batter is formed.

To cook the blinis, heat some of the remaining melted butter in a large frying pan. Drop the batter into the pan, 1 tablespoon at a time, to form small pancakes. Cook each for 1–2 minutes or until covered with bubbles. Turn and cook the other side until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

To serve, top warm blinis with the smoked salmon, ½ teaspoon crème fraîche or sour cream, a few baby capers and a few leaves of watercress or dill. Finish with a few twists of the pepper mill and a squeeze of lemon.