Hazelnut Chocolate Blini with Raspberry Drizzle

Directions:

Set aside 12 whole raspberries. Puree remaining berries in mini food processor. Place strainer over bowl, add berry puree and strain to remove seeds; there should be about 1/3 cup puree in bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon sugar. Drizzle 1 tablespoon puree in a ring, avoiding the center, in 4 shallow soup bowls. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon chopped nuts over raspberry sauce in each bowl. Set bowls aside.

In small bowl, combine all-purpose flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In medium bowl, microwave chocolate with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Stir melted chocolate and cool to room temperature.

Separate egg, placing white into an impeccably clean mixing bowl. Add yolk to melted chocolate, stirring to combine. Stir in hazelnut flour; mixture will become grainy and thick. Set aside.

To bowl with egg white, add second white and salt. With whisk or electric mixer on medium-high, beat whites until they look white. While beating, slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until soft peaks form.

Add one-fourth of whites to chocolate mixture, using soft spatula to fold and mix, scooping chocolate up from bottom of bowl, until combined but still quite streaky. Add remaining whites and gently fold to combine, leaving mixture slightly streaky. Sprinkle on flour and baking soda mixture and very gently fold until almost combined. Mixture will collapse somewhat; do not over mix.

In heavy medium skillet, melt butter with 1 teaspoon remaining oil until water drops sizzle when flicked into pan. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of batter into pan, nudging edges to form 2½ -inch blini. Repeat, making 4 blini. Cook until tops are shiny, puffed and some bubbles appear on surface, 2 to 2½ minutes. Watch carefully, adjusting heat so blini do not burn. When blini are almost set but still flexible, use pancake turner to carefully turn them. Cook until blini resist a finger pressed gently into center of top, 1 to 1½ minutes, adjusting heat as needed.

Place 2 blini each in center of 2 bowls. Garnish each with 3 whole raspberries. Repeat, rubbing pan with 1/2 tsp remaining oil and making 4 more blini with remaining batter. Serve immediately.