The Ingredient: Caviar

Caviar (n.): The roe (egg) of sturgeon, especially the beluga, or other fish, usually served as an hors d’oeuvre or appetizer.

Known as a high-end topping, the finest caviar can get pretty expensive. Local retailers do carry some that is accessibly priced. Harter House (multiple locations) and Brown Derby International Wine Center (2023 S. Glenstone Ave., Springfield, 800-491-3438) carry black, red and golden Romanhoff 2-to-3 ounce jars from $5.59 to $14.99. If you want a higher grade, you can special order from the Crab Shack (409 Northview Rd. Ste 1, Nixa, 417-724-2234). Owner Mike Bleil doesn’t generally have caviar on hand because it’s such a volatile item. “It isn’t anything you want to stock for more than [a couple] weeks at a time,” Bleil says. “You want to bring it in fresh and send it out the door fresh.”

Clary’s chef William Mauk says it’s rare, but he’s used it a few times as a garnish or on blini—a small, savory potato pancake—as an hors d’oeuvre.

A lot of local places, Mauk says, do not have true caviar. Look at the type of caviar and avoid artificially colored fish roe. He recommends beluga and Iranian osetra. “Those types of caviar are very nice and shouldn’t be used as a topping,” Mauk says. “Personally, I don’t use any fish roe. I’d suggest buying some good caviar and just eating it straight.” Osetra caviar will cost from $230 to $240 an ounce, but beluga hasn’t been available in the United States for more than a year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned the importing of beluga caviar in fall 2005 in an attempt to protect the species of sturgeon.

If you can’t track down other types of caviar locally, a broad selection can be found on petrossian.com.

BLINI

Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, at room temperature (sold at Brown Derby International Wine Center)
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper

To prepare blini: Place potatoes in a saucepan with cold water to cover by at least two inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and tender.

Peel the warm potatoes and press them through a food mill. Immediately weigh out 9 ounces of puréed potatoes, and place them in a medium metal bowl. Working quickly, whisk flour into the warm potatoes, then whisk in 2 tablespoons crème fraîche. Add one egg, whisking until the batter is smooth. Add the second egg, and then add the yolk.

Hold the whisk with some of the batter over the bowl. The batter should fall in a thick stream but hold its shape when it hits the batter in the bowl. If it is too thick, add a little more crème fraîche. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat an electric griddle to 350°F. (Note: If you don’t have a griddle, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.) Spoon between 1 and 11⁄2 teaspoons of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the bottoms are browned. Then flip them to cook the second side for about 1 minute. The blini should be evenly browned with a small ring of white around the edges. Transfer blini to a small baking sheet, and keep it warm while you make the remaining blini. Wipe skillet with a paper towel between batches. Serve the blini as soon as possible.