Smoked Salmon & Butternut Squash Blini with Crème Fraiche, Orange & Dill

These delicious treats are the perfect canapé for a New Years Eve Party  

Blinis are best cooked on a medium to low heat as the slow cooking allows enough time for a lovely golden hue to develop and for the centre to puff up.

Orange works very well with the smoky salmon and earthy butternut squash but its flavours must be concentrated first. So put the juice and zest of 2 oranges into a small pot, place over a medium heat, and reduce by three quarters. Then pass through a sieve and set aside.

Butternut Squash Blini:
300g roasted butternut squash
120ml milk
100g plain flour
2 eggs – beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt & generous grind of black pepper
To serve:
Smoked salmon
Crème fraiche
Dill
2 oranges – zest & juice reduced to a syrup

Put the blini ingredients into a food processor & puree until smooth.
Pre-heat a non-stick pan on a low heat, add a little butter.
Drop in 1 teaspoon of mix; it should spread slightly to form a small disc.
Cook for 2 minutes and then turn over & cook the other side.
Allow to cool and store in an air tight container.
To serve , warm the blini in the oven, remove & top with a swirl of smoked salmon, a dollop of crème fraiche, a drop of concentrated orange & a small sprig of dill.