Roasted rice blinis, with crab, cod roe, wild rice & genmaicha

by Theo Clench
Akoko, United Kingdom
 

BLINIS
Part 1
100g Basmati rice
40g unsalted butter
10g vegetable oil
375g milk

Part 2
5g yeast
5g sugar
5g salt
75ml warm milk
50g flour
2 eggs, separated

COD ROE
65g smoked cod roe
40g water
325ml vegetable oil
1 squeeze of lemon juice

PUFFED RICE
50g wild rice
250ml vegetable oil

EXTRA
200g picked white crab meat
1 Granny Smith apple
Genmaicha (green tea and roasted rice)
Chives, to taste
Salt, to taste
Lemon juice, to taste

1 — BLINIS (PART 1)
With the first half of the blinis recipe, put the rice, butter and oil into a pan and roast until golden brown and nutty. Pour in the cold milk. Mix well then transfer to a blender or food processor. Blend for 1 minute until as smooth as possible. Transfer back to the pan and bring up to a boil, stirring constantly. Once thick, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.

2 — BLINIS (PART 2)
With the second half of the blinis recipe, take the milk and warm to a tepid temperature then add the yeast and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes. Separate the eggs, reserving the whites for later. Add the yolks, salt and yeast/milk mix to the thickened rice base. Mix thoroughly. Sift in the flour and mix again. Cover in clingfilm and rest in a warm place for 2 hours minimum.

3 — COD ROE EMULSION
Meanwhile, to make the cod roe emulsion, add the cod roe and water to a food processor and blend, slowly emulsifying in the oil. Once thickened, season with lemon juice to taste.

4 — PUFFED WILD RICE
To puff the wild rice, place the oil in a pan and heat to 210°C (410°F), pour the rice in and it will begin to bubble and puff. Be sure to use a large enough pan so the oil does not overflow. Strain the rice once puffed and set aside on paper towel to cool and drain.

5 — COOKING THE BLINIS
After 2 hours, the blinis mix should be ready. Take the egg whites and whisk to a soft peak. Fold through the blinis mix. Set a non-stick pan on a medium heat and spoon the blinis mix into small circles about 4-6cm wide. Cook on one side until you see it bubble and then flip over and cook for another 20 seconds. Remove and set aside.

6 — DRESSING THE CRAB
Add the crab meat to a bowl. Finely dice the green apple, removing the skin beforehand and add to the crab. Roughly chop the puffed rice and add to the mix. Finely slice some chives and add to the crab mix, along with lemon juice and salt. Separately blitz the Genmaicha in a food processor and set aside.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
To dress the dish, take a blini and place some of the cod roe emulsion on top of the pancake. Generously spoon some crab mix on top of the cod roe. Dust with the Genmaicha powder and garnish with edible flowers (optional).