Blini weeks are a fixture in the Helsinki restaurant culture. Between January and March each year restaurants serve a blini menu, celebrating the traditional Russian dish. Blini are small, thick pancakes typically made from buckwheat flour and served with a variety of toppings such as sour cream, caviar, smoked salmon, onions, and gherkins. The event usually takes place in the weeks leading up to the Russian Orthodox holiday of Maslenitsa (also known as Blini Week), which is a celebration of the end of winter and the arrival of spring.
Our blinis are an adaptation of an Escoffier recipe, using both wheat and buckwheat flour and a combination of yeast and egg whites to get the light, fluffy texture. Each blini is 10cm in diameter so has plenty of room for you to pile on the delicious toppings. A portion has four blinis and a selection of four toppings (pescatarian or vegetarian,- just make your selection in the drop down menu)
Pescatarian selection
- sour cream, caviar, red onion, dill
- cold smoked salmon, capers, sour cream, shaved pickled fennel, a drizzle of orange syrup and dill
- sour cream, home pickled cucumber, honey and dill
- prawn Skagen topped with pea shoots and lemon pearls
Vegetarian selection
- sour cream, seaweed 'caviar', red onion, dill
- ScandiKitchen's beetroot salad, orange slice, crushed pistachio, flat leaf parsley and a drizzle of orange syrup
- sour cream, home pickled cucumber, honey and dill
- forest mushrooms seasoned with garlic and smoked salt, sour cream and topped with chives and crispy onions
Both options can be made gluten free on request. The blinis will then be made with just the buckwheat flour, instead of a mixture with wheat flour.
As 14th February is also Valentine's weekend it felt like the perfect time to put this celebratory dish on the Koivu weekly menu.
A fun Finnish fact is that Valentine's Day in Finnish is ystävänpäivä, or friendship day, so it is a celebration of love in its many forms; friends, family and chosen family.
Heating instructions
Gently warm through the blini in the dish they arrive in, in a preheated 120 Celsius oven for 8 minutes. All toppings can then be piled on to the blini and enjoyed.
14th February - large blinis with a selection of toppings
Blini - wheat flour, buckwheat flour, yeast, salt, milk, eggs, butter, rapeseed oil
Contains: gluten, milk, egg
Sour cream, lumpfish caviar, red onion, dill topping - sour cream, Lumpfish Roe (Cyclopterus lumpus) (Fish) (90%), Salt, Water, Colours (E151, E110*), Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum), Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), red onion, dill
Contains: fish, milk
Sour cream, Cavi-art seaweed caviar, red onion, dill topping- sour cream, Seaweed extract (83%), water, salt, spices (extracts of cayenne pepper, turmeric, laurel, and leek), acidifier (citric acid), stabiliser (xanthan gum), preservatives (potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate), colour (vegetable carbon), red onion, dill
Contains: milk
Cold smoked salmon topped with capers, shaved pickled fennel-, dill and orange syrup- salmon, salt, sour cream, capers, white wine vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, orange, dill, fennel
Contains: fish, milk, mustard, sulphur dioxide
prawn skagen with lemon pearls and pea shoots- prawns, egg, rapeseed oil, lemon juice, mustard, creme fraiche, horseradish, shallots, dill, lemon pearls (Water, spirit vinegar 7%, concentrated lemon juice 4%, table salt, thickener: cellulose gum, acidifying: citric acid, gelling agents: calcium chloride and sodium alginate, lemon flavour 0.4%, colouring: lutein, pepper 0.07%, preservative: potassium sorbate. 200g: Water, vinegar (France) 5%, concentrated lemon juice (Italy) 1%, fine salt, thickener: cellulose gum, acidifying agent: citric acid, firming agent: calcium chloride, gelling agent: sodium alginate, natural lemon flavour (EU/non EU) 0.1%, colouring: lutein, pepper) pea shoots
Contains: crustacean, milk, egg, mustard
Mixed fried mushrooms seasoned with garlic and smoked salt and topped with chives and crispy onions- mixed mushrooms, rapeseed oil, garlic, dill, chives, smoked salt, white pepper, onions, sour cream
Contains: milk
Sour cream, home pickled cucumbers and honey- sour cream, cucumber, dill, white wine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, bay leaf, juniper berries, yellow mustard seeds, black peppercorns, honey
Contains: milk, sulphur dioxide, mustard
ScandiKitchen beetroot salad, orange slice, pistachio, parsley and orange syrup - Beetroot (56%), rapeseed oil, water, sugar, EGG yolk (salt); modified potato starch, vinegar, onion, beetroot juice, preservative (E211, E202), orange, sugar, pistachio, flat leaf parsley
Contains: egg, sulphur dioxide, nuts
Via our home to home delivery service. All deliveries are on Saturday from early afternoon to early evening. Please note a specific time cannot be guaranteed, but we will give you an hour's delivery slot on the day.
All food will be delivered chilled and will need to be reheated according to the instructions on this website beneath the product description.