Start to finish: 35 minutes

Makes 24 blini

Chef and cookbook author Sara Moulton writes: "For my Oscars party, I wanted to develop a simple, lean version of the pancake. … I came up with a flavorful alternative using whole-wheat flour and buttermilk. All I had to do was adapt one of the zillion recipes for buttermilk pancakes made with white flour."

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon bottled horseradish, drained

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons butter, melted (or vegetable oil)

3/4 cup flaked or chopped smoked trout or salmon

1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs or chopped fresh chives

2 ounces salmon roe (or the caviar of your choice)

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, horseradish, lemon rind, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, the baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. In another medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until barely combined (it is OK to see a few lumps). The batter will be thick.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet with cooking spray and add the batter by level tablespoon amounts. Do not crowd the pan. Let the blini cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.

When all of the blini have been cooked and you are ready to serve, arrange them on a serving platter. Top each with some of the smoked trout, horseradish-yogurt blend, a dollop of caviar and fresh dill.

Per serving: 50 calories; 20 calories from fat (40 percent of total calories); 2 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 4 g protein; 140 mg sodium.

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