I love celebrating special occasions and milestones with food. Whether it’s a special homemade meal or a nice dinner out, good food is always involved. Cooking special meals for my family is an expression of love to me. But I also enjoy a good meal where I don’t have to cook!
This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Buckwheat Blini with Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraîche, happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary (11 years!) so I decided it would make the perfect appetizer for a special anniversary dinner.
I have never eaten blini before. They are pretty much a yeasted pancake made with part buckwheat flour. The buckwheat adds a whole lot of flavor. Topped with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, and a bit of fresh dill, they make a very sophisticated appetizer.
I really liked the combination of flavors. I didn’t let my crème fraîche get quite thick enough, but it still tasted good. My husband thought they were OK, but felt the salmon would be better just on a cracker.
The rest of our meal was lovely as well. We had Roast Chicken for les Paresseux with potatoes and Brussels Sprouts with Marjoram and Pine Nuts. For dessert we had Split-Level Pudding from Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking: From My Home to Yours (while I’m not a participant in Tuesdays with Dorie, I’ve seen enough TWD posts to convince me to buy the book!).
From Scratch 
Happy 11th Anniversary!!
Karen, Happy Anniversary!! Your blini look wonderful, such a nice appetizer for such a special dinner!
Karen, I feel the same way about cooking and baking for my family and what better way to express your love than to cook your anniversary dinner?! What a fabulous dinner you had and I have to try that dessert! Your blini looks so good. And you made your own creme fraiche – I am sure it tasted just delicious. Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary.
I totally agree – cooking/ baking is one of the best ways to show how you feel for people. It sounds like you went all out. (Lovely color on that salmon by the way).
Happy Anniversary, Karen! Your meal sounds absolutely scrumptious – what a great compilation of “woo food”. Your pretty blini fit right in there!
Happy anniversary! Good food is key for a celebration…and your meal sounds fabulous! Beautiful blini, too~
Happy Anniversary! That meal sounds wonderful! And I agree that the blini make for a sophisticated app that isn’t that hard to make.
Happy Anniversary! It seems a lot of us have October anniversaries (seven years this week for us). Your meal sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate.