Corn Blini With Smoked Salmon and Chive Cream

A lovely recipe with it's roots in Russia. Adapted from Cooking Light magazine. To make this vegetarian, just leave out the smoked salmon.

• Ready In: 24 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1⁄3 cup light sour cream
• 1  tablespoon  minced fresh chives
• 1  ear  shucked corn (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)
• 1⁄3 cup flour
• 2  tablespoons yellow cornmeal (fine ground)
• 1⁄2 cup milk
• 1  large  egg yolk
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1  large  egg white
•  cooking spray
• 4  ounces smoked salmon, cut into 24 strips (2-inch wide)
•  chopped fresh chives (optional)

Directions

1. Combine sour cream and chives in a small bowl. Cover and chill.
2. Cut kernels from ear of corn. Scrape remaining pulp from cob using the dull side of a knife blade. Discard cob. Set corn aside.
3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and cornmeal in a medium bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture. Combine milk and egg yolk in a small bowl, stir well with whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir with a whisk until just moist. Stir in corn, salt, and pepper.
4. Place egg white in a bowl, beat with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Gently fold egg white mixture into corn mixture.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 1 tbls. batter per blini onto pan, spreading to about 2" diameter. Cook 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges begin to set. Carefully turn blinis over, cook for 1 more mintue. Transfer blinis to a serving platter, and arrange in a single layer; keep warm. Repeat process with the remaining batter. Top each blini with with 1 piece salmon and 1 teaspoons sour cream mixture. Garnish with chopped chives, if using.
6. Makes 8 servings.