While May Day for me is a fun celebration of hanging a basket of goodies and flowers on a neighbor’s doorknob, in Russia it’s a national holiday recognized with political and military marches.  At The Great Galena Cookery it’s a combination of both…gathering the spring flowers from the backyard for the table setting and making some delicious Russian recipes. I have a group of Galena women, “The International Lunch Ladies”, that come for lunch every couple months. They choose a country and I choose the menu. They are never disappointed…or at least don’t tell me if they are. May was Russian and the menu included:

Blini with sour cream and smoked salmon accompanied by a pickled cucumber garnish

Beef Strogonoff with Homemade Egg Noodles and Beet Salad

Russian Black Rye Bread with fresh cream butter

Chocolate Cherry Strudel with Kirshwasser Crème

It was a rather extravagant affair for everyday cooking at home, but many of the parts could become a regular at your house, with a little simplification and planning ahead. Since we just made French Galettes with buckwheat flour, I still have some on hand. The Blini are also made with buckwheat. Being the appetizer, I made tiny “silver dollar” pancakes. The kids will love these….especially their diminutive size. What is it about miniature things? We sell lots of tiny vases and teapots at the shop…everyone loves them. Must be a childhood thing.I served them with sour cream and smoked salmon—very Russian, but warmed and served with fruit and honey, they are wonderful for breakfast or even a quick dessert. I’ve even used leftover blini for a fun tiny lunch sandwich of turkey and cheese—kind of like Russian sliders?  The recipe makes quite a few and can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days, or layered between parchment, wrapped and frozen for a month or two.

Blini

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
1 cup milk
1 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

When ready to bake:

1 egg, separated, white beaten to stiff peaks
1/3 cup heavy cream, whipped
1-2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing griddle

In a large bowl mix 1 1/2 teaspoon yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Let rest for a few minutes until it’s foamy. Stir in 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup buckwheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk for about a minute. Cover and let rise for 2–3 hours at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, Whisk in 1 egg yolk, and gently fold in the whipped cream, starting with 1/3 cup, and one stiffly beaten egg white. Heat a griddle to medium high temperature and brush with melted butter. Spoon out teaspoons of batter to form 2—3-inch pancakes. Bake until dry around the edges and golden on the bottom. Flip and cook other side for about a minute. Repeat with remaining batter.
Makes about 50 tiny pancakes.