12/05/2006

Serving and Handling Recommendations

Handling Recommendations

Storing Caviar

• Caviar is best consumed soon after arrival
• Your Caviar may be stored unopened for up to four weeks before serving.
• Once opened, it should be consumed in one sitting, but will last 24 hours under refrigeration.
• Caviar is best kept in the back of your refrigerator where it is consistently coldest at 34 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Eggs should appear whole, plump, and glistening but without excess moisture. Whole eggs pop with flavor and store longer.
• Like any fresh seafood, your caviar should smell clean, like the sea, a pungent odor indicates it is old. However, because caviar is preserved with salt it is usually safe to eat when stored at or below 34 degrees.
• Semi-pasteurized sturgeon caviar often has liquid in the jar, a sign of inferiority. Look for low moisture.
• However, some pasteurized salmon caviar does not require refrigeration and is surprisingly good.

Spooning Caviar

• Use mother of pearl, gold, horn, or wood utensils when spooning sturgeon caviar because it can stain steel
• We recommend hand-washing mother-of-pearl, glass and crystal spoons, and serving pieces to preserve their finish and prevent breakage.


Serving Suggestions

~ Sophisticated, Simple to Serve ~

In Caviar Bowls for Guests to Spoon

• Caviar bowls often have two pieces. The base, which resembles a fish bowl, may be filled with crushed ice. A second bowl rests in the ice chilling the caviar inside of it.
• Open your jar of Caviar and spoon it into a caviar bowl that keeps it chilled and offers sophisticated presentation (fill bottom bowl with ice)
• If you don’t have a caviar bowl, place the open jar in a bowl of crushed ice for guests to spoon onto blini or toast points. Placing the lid next to the jar is acceptable.

Accoutrements on Blini and Toast

• Crème fraîche, Old Chatham™ Sheep’s Milk Camembert and Yogurt, sour cream, and butter compliment caviar

Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
• Serve Caviar with crème fraîche on 1-inch blini for passed hors d’oeuvres, sprinkle dill leaves for freshening appearance
• Roll caviar and crème fraîche in large blini and slice into 1-inch rounds, standing on plate
• Substitute white salmon mousse and cucumber for caviar and crème fraîche when rolling blini
• Replace small blini with cucumber or celery for low-carb snack, the green compliments orange salmon and trout
• Create smoked salmon or sturgeon tournedos and garnish with caviar (see recipe section)

Blini Serving Tips

Brauman’s Honey Buckwheat and Lemon Dill Blini:
• Small 1-inch Blini – This is ideal to pass as hors d'oeuvres or at tastings. The 1-inch blini is topped with one spoonful from La Petite Pearle's small spoons.
• Medium 3-inch Blini - The original "cracker-size" for appetizers, tastings, and passed hors d'oeuvres. This is the perfect size for all occasions, each one uses 2-3 spoonfuls of caviar.

European Style Blini:
• Medium 3-inch Blini - The original "cracker-size" for appetizers, tastings, and passed hors d'oeuvres.
• This is the perfect size for all occasions, each one uses 2-3 spoonfuls of caviar.
• Fluffy, buttery, egg recipe toasts brilliantly under the broiler.

Traditional Russian Blini:
• Large 10-inch Blini - The traditional blini baked exclusively for La Petite Pearle. Holds 10 spoonfuls of caviar. May be rolled and sliced into 6 individual hors d'oeuvres.

© 2006 La Petite Pearle