Blini Pie (for chef J)
Blini Pie
(adjusted version)
1. Homemade cheese
1900ml kefir
bain-marie
Start bain-marie with cold water and using low heat coagulate kefir cheese. It takes about 1 hour for slow coagulation + 1 hour for straining (first 30 min without weigh and another 30 min with 1/2lbs weight). 1900ml of Lifeway Plain kefir will yield 380-390g of soft cheese with a pleasant milky-creamy-slightly sour taste profile. Reserve whey.
2. Whey blinis
3 eggs (large)
350ml whey
1 cup (240ml) AP flour
1 Tbs melted whole butter
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
25ml alcohol (optional)
Using blender, pulse all ingredients 3-4 times to form a homogenous mixture. Let batter stay 1 hour in room temperature. Notes: The liquid part can be different. It could be milk, cream, whey, or any combinations of them and water. The composition of liquid affects the final taste. Whey gives this blinis more sour taste and results in thicker, puffier texture. It will be very close to the taste of those blinis that are made with yeast, but more tender.
I've made double recipe, so my pictures show larger volumes.
3. Fillings
300g homemade cheese
220g 30% cream
140g honey
1 egg yolk
150g dry apricots
150g golden raisins
4. Assembly
5. I baked one 300F for 15 minutes and did not bake the second to see the difference. 15 minutes in 300F doesn't heat through even a small pie. During the baking homemade cheese continues to coagulate and homogenous, creamy paste becomes sandier. Heating definitely helps to develop more taste and sweetness in general. It is impossible to cut it nicely when hot. We will need to reduce the amount of cheese for filling. It gets better after a few hours in fridge. The taste and cuts improve.
After baking. Fats melt and run.
Not baked. Too much cheese. Improves after a few hours in fridge, everything sets, much better cuts, developed flavors, but still more subtle than in baked version.
(adjusted version)
1. Homemade cheese
1900ml kefir
bain-marie
Start bain-marie with cold water and using low heat coagulate kefir cheese. It takes about 1 hour for slow coagulation + 1 hour for straining (first 30 min without weigh and another 30 min with 1/2lbs weight). 1900ml of Lifeway Plain kefir will yield 380-390g of soft cheese with a pleasant milky-creamy-slightly sour taste profile. Reserve whey.
2. Whey blinis
3 eggs (large)
350ml whey
1 cup (240ml) AP flour
1 Tbs melted whole butter
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
25ml alcohol (optional)
Using blender, pulse all ingredients 3-4 times to form a homogenous mixture. Let batter stay 1 hour in room temperature. Notes: The liquid part can be different. It could be milk, cream, whey, or any combinations of them and water. The composition of liquid affects the final taste. Whey gives this blinis more sour taste and results in thicker, puffier texture. It will be very close to the taste of those blinis that are made with yeast, but more tender.
I've made double recipe, so my pictures show larger volumes.
3. Fillings
300g homemade cheese
220g 30% cream
140g honey
1 egg yolk
150g dry apricots
150g golden raisins
4. Assembly
5. I baked one 300F for 15 minutes and did not bake the second to see the difference. 15 minutes in 300F doesn't heat through even a small pie. During the baking homemade cheese continues to coagulate and homogenous, creamy paste becomes sandier. Heating definitely helps to develop more taste and sweetness in general. It is impossible to cut it nicely when hot. We will need to reduce the amount of cheese for filling. It gets better after a few hours in fridge. The taste and cuts improve.
After baking. Fats melt and run.
Not baked. Too much cheese. Improves after a few hours in fridge, everything sets, much better cuts, developed flavors, but still more subtle than in baked version.