Russian Blini Recipe

Traditional russian blini (blee-nee), the singular is blin, are made with a yeast-raised buckwheat flour batter that gives them a nutty flavor. They symbolize the sun and take center stage at maslenitsa (also known as butter week, pancake week, or cheesefare week), a spring festival marking the end of winter. For some, it also marks the last week to eat dairy before the fasting of lent begins. Today, blini are prepared hundreds of wayswith white flour only, cornmeal, sweet, savory, you name it. And their accompaniments have gone beyond the traditional caviar, smoked salmon, minced onion, chopped eggs, sour cream, and a sip or two of vodka.