Victor Sack said:Quoted message said:I am looking for good suggestions on brands of black caviar. Some thing
moderately priced. I may have champagne & caviar tastes, but I have a less
than beer budget. 🙂
I have a dish to make that requires it and normally I am not the one who
purchases caviar on a regular basis.
So whats the suggestions on brands etc...
The only way to buy caviar relatively inexpensively is to have someone
you know bring it directly from the area where it is produced and hope
it is still fresh. The best caviar - actually the only one that is
worth buying - is unpasteurised (so it *has* to be fresh). The cheapest
(but not necessarily any worse, as it is a matter of taste) is usually
sevruga.
What dish do you have in mind? The only one I can think of that will
really benefit from an addition of caviar is creamed eggs or similar,
since eggs are relatively bland and provide a nice, neutral background.
On the other hand, caviar will really benefit from no additions at all,
save an (optionally buttered) piece of good, thinly-cut baguette or
toast.
Ice cold vodka benefits too.
But now that I think about it years ago I posted a veal recipe where a
major ingredient was caviar.
Whadaya know, found it.
Teliatyna z Pidlyvoiu Iz Ikry (Braised Veal With Caviar Sauce)
To serve 6 to 8
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of thinly sliced onions
1 carrot, scraped and cut into 1/ 2 inch rounds
4 sprigs of parsley
2 stalks of celery with their leaves, cut into 2-inch lengths
3 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
1 tablespoon of finely chopped lemon peel
3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3 1/ 2 to 4-pounds of boneless veal, cut from either the leg or the
rump and securely tied
1 cup of dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons of potato starch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of cold water
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) black caviar
1/8 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
In a heavy 6-quart casserole, melt the butter over high heat.
Add the onions, carrot, parsley, celery, bay leaves, cloves and lemon
peel and cover the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes,
until the vegetables are soft but not brown. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 325° F. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet,
heat the 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat until a light haze forms
above it. Add the veal and brown for 8 to 10 minutes, turning it every
2 or 3 minutes so that it browns evenly on all sides. Then place it on
top of the vegetables in the casserole and pour in the wine. Bring to a
boil over high heat, sprinkle the meat liberally with salt and a few
grindings of black pepper and cover the casserole tightly. Braise in
the center of the oven for 1 1/ 4 hours, turning the veal over after 45
minutes.
When the veal is tender, transfer it to a heated platter, cut
away the strings and carve the meat into 1/4 inch-thick slices. Arrange
them, slightly overlapping, down the center of a large platter and
cover the platter loosely with foil to keep the meat warm while you
make the sauce.
Quickly strain the entire contents of the casserole through a
fine sieve into a bowl, pressing down hard on the vegetables with the
back of a large spoon before discarding them. Skim off any surface fat
and return the braised juices to the casserole. Stir in the dissolved
potato starch. Then bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, stirring
constantly until it is lightly thickened and smooth. Reduce the heat to
low and gently stir in the caviar and lemon juice and taste for
seasoning. Pour the sauce over the veal and serve at once, or if you
prefer, serve the sauce separately. =···=
Sheldon
