Beluga Lentil Caviar on Blini
An elegant vegan appetizer featuring black beluga lentils prepared to mimic caviar, served atop delicate buckwheat blini with vegan mayo-miso sauce and fresh chives. Perfect for sophisticated plant-based entertaining.
Ingredients
- •½ cup black beluga lentils
- •2 cups water
- •2 teaspoons kosher salt
- •2 tablespoons minced capers, packed in brine
- •2 tablespoons brine from the caper jar
- •4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- •1 tablespoon Miso Mayo or white miso paste
- •½ cup buckwheat flour
- •½ cup organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour
- •2 teaspoons baking powder
- •1¼ cups nondairy milk
- •3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
- •1 tablespoon vegan butter
- •½ bunch fresh chives
- •2 tablespoons chives
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Make the beluga lentil caviar: Rinse the lentils and put them in a small pot with the water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
20 min
- 2.
Drain the cooked lentils and place them in medium bowl. Add the salt, capers, and caper brine. Mix well and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, and a maxi¬mum of 2 days.
120 min
- 3.
Make the vegan sauce: Mix the vegan mayonnaise with the Miso Mayo in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
5 min
- 4.
Make the blini: In a medium bowl, combine the flours and baking powder. Whisk the nondairy milk and melted butter into the flour until a batter forms. Allow the batter to rest a few minutes.
10 min
- 5.
Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add a small dab of butter to the pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. To form each blin, pour a little more than a tablespoon of batter into the pan. You can usually cook 4 to 6 blini at a time. Wait until the pancakes begin to show air bubbles all over the tops and the bottoms are brown. Flip the blini over and cook until golden brown.
15 min
- 6.
Using the back of a spoon, spread a small amount of the Vegan Sour "Cream" on each blin, add a teaspoon of the beluga lentil caviar, and top with a pinch of minced chives. Serve immediately.
10 min