Caviar Demystified

Tori Ritchie On The Affordable, Domestic Kind — And How To Serve It

(CBS)  One of the classiest things you can serve for a New Year's Eve party, or any special party, is caviar.

And you don't need the imported kind, either.

In a "Five-Minute Cooking School" segment on The Early Show Wednesday, cooking teacher and cookbook author Tori Ritchie said caviar is more affordable than you may think, and showed how to serve it. She offered the lesson in the flagship store in Manhattan of The Early Show partner and specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma.

All caviar, which is also known as roe and as fish eggs, comes from sturgeon. There are three main types of caviar and each comes from a different species of sturgeon. These caviars include beluga, sevruga and osetra.

Historically, the best known and most respected caviars came from the Caspian Sea. However, the domestic variety provides a good alternative.

Domestic caviar is much less expensive — $70 an ounce, on average, compared to $200 and up for imported. More importantly, as far as Ritchie is concerned, over-fishing in the Caspian Sea has caused the sturgeon there to become endangered. American sturgeon are raised on sustainable farms. Plus, when you buy caviar that's produced in the United States, you know exactly what you're getting because U.S. farms are regulated, unlike the sources of imported caviar.

Years ago, domestic caviar wasn't considered very good. But increased demand has resulted in much improved quality, and now famous chefs are cooking with domestic varieties.

Probably the "finest" American caviar is the osetra, which is from a domestic sturgeon and most closely resembles imported caviar. Three other types of domestic come from other species: Paddlefish, Hackleback and Golden Ostera.

Each of the four has a slightly different taste: Think of caviar as you would wine. Which is truly the best? According to Ritchie, the best caviar is the one you like most.

SERVING CAVIAR

Caviar must be kept cold at all times because it can deteriorate quickly. However, don't freeze it: That ruins the texture and taste. An unopened jar can sit in the coldest part of your refrigerator for a few weeks, but once opened, the caviar should be consumed within a day or two.

To serve, nestle a small bowl of caviar in a bed of ice. It is not considered tacky to serve it right out of the jar if you wish. Avoid serving or eating caviar with a metal spoon, as this can lend the roe an off-flavor. Instead, use mother-of-pearl spoons.

A traditional presentation of caviar includes toast points, crème fraiche, chopped shallot and chopped eggs.

Salty caviar and crisp, cold vodka is a classic combination; you might also consider serving caviar with champagne.

OTHER RECIPE IDEAS

One jar of caviar should serve about 12 people. However, party guests tend to take more than their share. So, if you want to stretch your caviar a bit and control how much your guests consume, consider the classic New Potatoes with Caviar.

The potatoes are baked, cut in half, and then the pulp is scooped out. Combine the pulp with sour cream and chives, spoon back into the shell and top with caviar. This is a familiar presentation that many people have probably seen before.

Ritchie also shows an updated version of this dish. Instead of serving the caviar on top of new potatoes, she serves it on top of homemade potato chips. She shows how to use a mandoline to create the chips. Of course, you can also simply buy good-quality waffle chips.

Scrambled Eggs with Caviar is an elegant first course, or a really decadent breakfast. Ritchie shows how to carefully remove the top of an egg. You empty the egg and scramble it. In the meantime, you blanch the shells; this cleans away any germs or bacteria. When the eggs are scrambled, pile them back into the shells and top with caviar. You can also serve the eggs on a plate, with no shell, or even fold the caviar into an omelet.

For recipes, go to Page 2.

[cantshutup]

sick! snails are nasty! why would you eat them??? pour salt on them and kill them...yuck, yuck, yuck! lol

fish eggs are gross too! THINK ABOUT IT!!!