Leek and Potatoe Vichyssoise with Red Caviar  (Feburary 2008)

 

2 lbs baking potatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
6 lg leeks, white parts only
1/2 tsp fresh ground white pepper
1 c Non-fat yogurt or evaporated skim milk
1/4 cup red salmon roe caviar
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes turning once, for 1 hour or until they are soft when pressed. Cut the cooked potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh. Cut leeks in half lengthwise, wash throughly to get out all sand and grit and chop coarsely. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over moderately high heat.

Add the chopped leeks and white pepper, reduce heat and simmer the leeks, covered for 30 minutes or until they are very tender.Add the potato flesh to the leeks and puree the mixture in batches in a food processor until very smooth.

Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl, add salt if desired and chill covered for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Whisk in the yogurt or milk and chill again for 30 minutes if necessary.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with 1-1/2-2teaspoons of red caviar and sprinkle with chives. Serve in chilled bowls.

Yield - 6 servings (cut the recipe in half, or save for a repeat performance)

Moderately priced avruga caviar (smoked herring roe from Spain) gives cooks a chance to throw caution to the wind and experiment.

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel plus additional to taste
4 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick)
1/4 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons avruga caviar
2 teaspoons olive oil
5 oz baby arugula (7 cups loosely packed)
5 oz mesclun (mixed baby salad greens; 7 cups loosely packed)
4 small lime wedges
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.

Spread butter over bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Put salmon, skin sides down, in dish and bake, uncovered, until just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.

About 10 minutes before salmon is done, put crème fraîche in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Transfer to a blender along with water and caviar and purée into a very smooth emulsion. Return to saucepan and keep warm, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Thin sauce slightly with a little additional hot water if too thick.
    
Just before salmon is done baking, heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add greens in 3 batches, stirring and turning with tongs until greens are slightly wilted before adding each new batch, and continue to cook, stirring, until completely wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Push greens to one side of skillet and pour off liquid (discarding it). Divide greens among 4 plates. Top greens with salmon and season lightly with fleur de sel, then squeeze some of lime juice from wedges over salmon. Stir 1/2 teaspoon lime juice into sauce and spoon onto plates.

This recipe serves 4, so cut it in half if it's just the two of you.
 

3 to 4 ounces smoked salmon
1 recipe Pizza Dough, recipe follows
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, cut into julienne strips
1/4 bunch fresh dill, minced, plus 4 small sprigs, for garnish
1/3 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
Freshly ground pepper
4 heaping tablespoons domestic golden (whitefish) caviar
1 heaping teaspoon black caviar

Before you are ready to bake the pizzas, preheat the oven with a pizza stone inside for 30 minutes to 500 degrees F.

Cut the salmon into paper-thin slices. Reserve.

Roll or stretch the dough into 4 (8-inch) circles. Place the pizzas on a lightly floured wooden peel. Brush the center of each pizza to within 1 inch of the edge with olive oil and sprinkle it with some of the red onion. Slide the pizza onto the stone and bake 8 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remember that the oven is very hot and be careful as you place the pizza into and out of the oven.

Mix the dill with the sour cream or creme fraiche and freshly ground pepper to taste. Transfer the pizzas to heated dinner plates and spread them with the sour cream mixture.

Divide the salmon, and arrange decoratively over the cream. Place a spoonful of golden caviar in the center of each pizza, then spoon a little of the black caviar into the center of the golden caviar.

1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4-cup warm water.

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. (The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball).
 
 Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled).

Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let rest 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch circle, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough.

Yield: 4 (8-inch) pizzas
 - Wolfgang Puck

This elegant pasta has only a few ingredients, but together they make an incredibly satisfying supper. The dish requires nothing more than a big green salad as accompaniment. Prep and Cook Time: about 20 minutes.

    Ingredients:

    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1 small onion, cut into half-moons
    1 cup whipping cream
     Zest and juice of 1 lemon
     About 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
     About 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    1 pound vermicelli
    8 ounces hot- or cold-smoked salmon, cut into pieces
    1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
    Salmon Caviar or Tobiko Caviar for garnish

    Preparation:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large, high-sided frying pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook, stirring, until onion is soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in cream, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture has thickened slightly, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add pasta to water and cook according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

3. Add salmon to cream mixture and stir to combine. Pour pasta into frying pan with salmon-cream mixture and toss to coat, adding some of the cooking water as needed to moisten pasta. Add parsley and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with Salmon Caviar or Tobiko Caviar

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
Yield:  Makes 6 servings
Nutritional Information:  CALORIES 536(40% from fat); FAT 24g (sat 13g); PROTEIN 28g; CHOLESTEROL 85mg; SODIUM 811mg; FIBER 2.5g; CARBOHYDRATE 63g

Sunset Magazine 2008

 
1 or 2 long English Cucumbers
1/4 to 1/2 cup sour cream or Creme Fraiche
1/4 to 1/3 cup Golden Whitefish Caviar (or Caviar of your choice)
Lime juice

Cut stem end of cucumber flat.  Hold vertically; about 1 1/2 inches up from flat end insert a knife tip at a 45o angle and make three equally spaced cuts to center.  Pull to release cup.

Trim pointed end flat and repeat cuts to make a total of 16 cups.  At this point you may cover and refrigerate up to two days.

Spoon 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the sour cream into each cucumber cup and top with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the caviar.  Sprinkle with lime juice.

This would be striking with 2 or more colors (black & gold, red & black).  If you use the Tobikko caviar, you could have quite a colorful arrangement!

 Sunset Appetizers
 Sunset Publishing Corporation 1991
 Menlo Park, California

 

Caviar Dip or Spread (December 2008)

adapted from: http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/CaviarSpread.htm