What is the difference between Russian blini and crepes?

One crepe is called a “blin”, but if there's more than one crepe, they are called “blini” . “Blini” is, actually, the plural form of the word “blin”.

What is crepes in culinary terms?

Crêpes are an ultra-thin pancake common in France that can be made sweet or savory, typically rolled or folded with a variety of fillings from jam or Nutella to ham and cheese to seafood.

What does blini mean in Russian?

A blini (plural blinis or blini, rarely bliny; Russian: блины pl.), singular: blin, is an Eastern European pancake made from various kinds of flour or buckwheat, wheat, etc . They may be served with smetana, tvorog, caviar and other garnishes, or simply smeared with butter.

What do Russians eat with blini?

Blinis can be served as is, or with savoury or sweet additions. Serving suggestions include boiled fish, salmon, smoked sturgeon, salted and marinated herring, fish salad, marinated mushrooms, caviar, grated cheese, sliced eggs, fish pastes, and sauces .

What is the secret of a good crepe?

Let the batter rest . If you can make the batter the night before, or 8 hours before you plan to make crêpes, they will be better than straight away. This resting period allows the gluten in the flour to develop and bond to the milk and eggs, and this yields a more complex flavor.

They can also be a good source of fiber if whole wheat flours are used, which are very healthy . They are also a low saturated fat option, especially if low-fat ingredients such as fresh cheese or vegetables are used. In addition, they do not contain trans fats that are harmful to health.

What are crepes called in English?

A crêpe or crepe (/kreɪp/ or /krɛp/, French: [kʁɛp], Quebec French: [kʁaɪ̯p]) is a very thin type of pancake . Crêpes are usually one of two varieties: sweet crêpes (crêpes sucrées) or savoury galettes (crêpes salées).

What is the difference between French and Russian blini?

Unlike their Russian cousins, French Blinis are made with all purpose flour for a light, delicate foil for tiny fish eggs or smoked salmon .

What is the difference between blini and blintzes?

Russian blinis tend to be thicker than blintzes (which came by way of Eastern Europe to the U.S. via Jewish immigrants) because blinis are made with a yeasted batter that's left overnight to rise, whereas blintzes — like crêpes — are made of flour, milk, and eggs.

How are blinis different from pancakes?

Unlike regular pancakes, blinis are made with yeast rather than baking powder so they are softer and more delicate . And blinis are made with buckwheat flour which gives it the signature slightly nutty flavour.

Russian Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes Recipe

Published: October 18, 2017 | Last updated: May 10, 2018 Leave a Comment

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Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes (or blini or blinchiki) are delicious, filling, and healthy. They are a great lunch or dinner if served with salad. Traditional Russian recipe that can be made in advance and frozen for a quick meal.

I always have a few Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes in the freezer. Not because I am great at meal prep. My mom spends a whole day making a big batch of these morsels a few times a year, freezes them in small batches and brings them over. When I was working in the office and had no leftovers for lunch, I’d bring two of these with me and some kind of vegetable for a delicious lunch. Now that I am home with the baby, I also often don’t have time to make food, so I quickly heat these Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes on the stove for lunch.

This is not a quick recipe but it’s really worth it. Soft and savoury meat studded with vibrant dill and sweet caramelized onion is wrapped in golden buttery crepes. Delicious! In my family, we traditionally eat them with sour cream but lately I’ve been eating them with plain yogurt. Have you tried real 10% fat yogurt by the way? I buy it for Baby but I sneak a spoonful here and there. It tastes almost like ice cream it’s so good.

Russian crepes or blinchiki can be stuffed with almost anything. Savoury fillings traditionally include various boiled and shredded meats such as beef or chicken, sautéed mushrooms and onions, smoked fish or row, but they also can be stuffed with stewed cabbage, egg salad, tuna salad, and poached fish. Sweet fillings for russian blini vary from many different kinds of jams and jellys, sweetened condensed milk, cottage cheese, stewed apples, and just sour cream with sugar. Have you tried my delicious Matcha Crepes for a fun twist on a Russian tradition?

I make Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes with mymom’s recipe which is my favourite. I usually make a whole batch of those crepes and we eat half of them for breakfast (or two breakfasts) and then I stuff the other half and we enjoy them over the next few days. The beef and dill filling is actually really easy to make. You just boil beef until it’s super soft, process it finely in a food processor, add sautéed onion, chopped dill, and mix. Wrap cool crepes around the filling and lightly pan fry so that the crepes get crispy, this ensures that they won’t unwrap.

Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Russian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

1/2 recipe Traditional Russian Crepes
1 pound lean beef cut (any big chunk of beef that is not too fatty)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil (divided)
2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
1/2 cup chopped dill (or more)
salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

Boil the beef for about 1 hour or until it's really soft and falling apart. I usually don't add any seasonings to the water but you could add salt and pepper if desired.
While the beef is boiling, fry the finely chopped onions on 1 tablespoon of oil on medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like the onions to be quite brown and caramelized.
Once the beef is boiled, cool it slightly and process in the food processor until it's very finely shredded.
Add the fried onions and chopped dill to the beef and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Optionally, add a couple of tablespoons of beef cooking liquid to the mixture to make it less dry.
Spoon the mixture into the center of each crepe and fold the edges around it to make a parcel.
Brush a big, preferably non-stick, pan with a little bit of leftover oil and add a few stuffed crepes to the pan seam side down. Pan-fry for a few minutes until the edges get golden. Flip and pan dry for another minute or so on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the crepes.

Notes

Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

I personally love a lot more dill but and just add a lot without measuring. Alternatively, you could use parsley or omit any herbs altogether.

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Russian Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes Recipe - Imagelicious (2024)

Beef and Dill Stuffed Crepes

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