Buckwheat Blinis

I'm not sure how traditional my method or serving suggestion is, but it's tasty. It's not low-carb, but it is gluten free and apparently quite healthy. The method, up to step 4, is from Whole Health Source. This recipe makes about 10-12 crepes.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups raw buckwheat groats (approx. 270 g)

• Dechlorinated water (filtered, boiled, or rested uncovered overnight)

• 1 tsp non-iodized salt (sea salt, pickling salt or kosher salt)

• 4 eggs

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• ricotta cheese

• cream cheese

• sour cream

• butter

• berries

Recipe

1. Cover buckwheat with a large amount of dechlorinated water and soak for 24 hours. Raw buckwheat is astringent due to water-soluble tannins. Soaking in a large volume of water and giving it a stir from time to time will minimize this. The soaking water will get slimy. This is normal.

2. Pour off the soaking water and rinse the buckwheat thoroughly to get rid of the slime and residual tannins.

3. Blend the buckwheat, salt, and 1/4 cup dechlorinated water (and 1 tbsp fermentation starter if you like -- I don't use it) in a food processor or blender. The smoother you get the batter, the better the final product will be.

4. At this point you'll have about 2 cups. Leave uncovered for an hour and then cover with a plate and let ferment for about 12 hours, a bit longer or shorter depending on the temperature and whether or not you used a starter. The batter will rise as the microorganisms get to work, and may double in volume. I use a 2 litre Pyrex measuring cup. The smell will mellow out. Refrigerate if not using right away.

5. In a separate bowl whisk 4 eggs, add 1/2 cup milk. Add some of the batter, the vanilla and 2 tbsps of melted butter. Keep whisking and adding batter until it's all combined.

6. In a crepe pan, melt some butter and cook the crepe. Flip once. Add butter to the pan after each crepe. Crepes can be refrigerated or frozen if not needed immediately.

7. Heat the berries in a pan until warm, or cook into a compote, if desired.

8. Mix two parts ricotta cheese to one part cream cheese in a bowl.

9. Put a couple of tablespoons of the ricotta cheese/cream cheese mixture into the center of each crepe and fold the crepes into squares.

10. Fry the folded crepes in butter and, once on the plate, top with some sour cream and fresh berries or berry compote.