There's something beautiful about a recipe that serves only two. And we do not mean the meal you and your husband eat while you're whipping up buttered noodles for the kids. We're talking about grown-up dining, the kind with soft lighting and hefty stemware. Dining en famille may be one of the true pleasures of parenthood (on a good night), but it's not exactly a recipe for deep eye-gazing. So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, we've assembled a three-course meal to be enjoyed à deux, any way you can make it happen. That is, if you can only squeeze in a decadent hors d'oeuvre or a stolen dessert after the kids' bedtime, that's okay. The important thing is to sit and savor something you love with the person you love—the one who's over three feet tall.
Caviar and Blinis
makes 24 pancakes | 20 minutes total time
Russian blinis traditionally call for yeast, but our
mini-pancake version is blissfully easy. Use as much or as little caviar as you like, depending on how indulgent you're feeling.
- 1 cup buckwheat pancake mix
(we like the unsweetened organic one from Whole Foods, but you can use any unsweetened kind and follow the package instructions for all pancake ingredients, using an egg if called for) - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup milk (any fat content) or water
- Black caviar (our favorite is paddlefish)
- Crème fraîche
- Chives, snipped
- Smoked salmon (optional)
- Minced red onion (optional)
- Combine the pancake mix with the salt, egg, butter or oil, and milk or water.
- Lightly brush another tablespoon of melted butter onto a skillet over medium-high heat.
- When the skillet is hot, spoon the batter into it a tablespoon at a time.
- Cook the blinis until tiny bubbles appear, about 1 minute, then flip them and fry until golden brown on each side.
- Transfer the blinis to a platter and serve warm with the caviar, crème fraîche, chives, and smoked salmon and onion (if desired).
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