Christmas smoked salmon & creme fraiche blinis

1. Put the flour and a good pinch of salt in a large bowl. Make a well, then drop in the egg yolk. Follow with the milk and 1 tbsp of the crème fraîche, then whisk to a thick batter. Using a clean whisk, whip the egg white to medium peaks, then fold carefully into the batter using a metal spoon.

2. Put ½ tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Drop 1 tbsp of the batter into the pan, giving it room to spread to about 5cm across. Repeat until the pan is full. Cook for 1 minute, then fl ip with a fish slice and cook for 1 minute more, until puffed up and golden on both sides. Lift onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat to make 20 blinis.

3. Segment the grapefruit, allowing the juice to drop into a separate bowl, and roughly chop the flesh. Stir the horseradish and most of the dill into the remaining crème fraîche, season, then fold in the grapefruit. Serve on top of the cooled blinis, with a twist of salmon, a sprinkle more dill and a grinding of black pepper. 

Cook’s tip
Try using the leftover grapefruit juice to make a deliciously refreshing ruby grapefruit G&T.