- •Roman learned the recipe in Helsinki, and its roots reach back to St Petersburg.
- •The dough rises for at least 12 hours.
- •Kolm Sibulat grinds the buckwheat flour for Moon.
- •The blinis are cooked in clarified butter.
- •They can be served with whitefish caviar or Osetra caviar.
Moon’s buckwheat blinis have been on our menu since the restaurant opened, and their recipe has travelled a long way.
More than 20 years ago, Roman Zaštšerinski learned the recipe from Juha Rantanen, his head chef at the time, while working in Helsinki. Juha had in turn received it from St Petersburg, where buckwheat blinis have a long and distinguished history.
Today, we still make those same blinis at Moon every day.
It all begins with dough that rises for at least 12 hours. It is then mixed again and left to rest further. Only after that are the blinis cooked until golden in plenty of clarified butter.
One important detail comes from our sister restaurant Kolm Sibulat: there, buckwheat flour is ground specially for Moon’s blinis. Freshly ground flour gives the dough its characteristic flavour and texture.
We serve the blinis with whitefish caviar or Osetra caviar, sour cream, red onion, dill and a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Simple accompaniments that let the blinis themselves shine.
The well-known Norwegian food blogger Anders Husa said after visiting Moon:
“Maybe the best blinis I've ever had.”
Roman likes to end this story by saying:
“To make the buckwheat blinis even better, we sing to them! (Just kidding, of course.)”
The story of Moon’s buckwheat blinis brings together a St Petersburg tradition, a recipe learned in Helsinki and Moon’s own approach developed over the years. Dough that rises for at least 12 hours, freshly ground buckwheat flour and cooking in clarified butter give the blinis their characteristic flavour and texture. They are served with whitefish caviar or Osetra caviar, sour cream, onion, dill and lemon.
