If you're going to invest the big bucks in imported caviar, know what to look for, how to buy it, what to avoid and what the going prices are. But don't feel deprived, affordable American freshwater caviar is gaining an appreciative audience here and abroad. If serving caviar on toast points isn't your thing, make blini!
1. What You Should Know About Caviar in Laymen's Terms
© Collins Caviar Company used with permission
The best caviar in the world comes from sturgeon that swim in the Caspian Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Iran but the cost can be prohibitive. Freshwater American caviar is an affordable alternative. Learn what chefs are doing with caviar these days.
2. Caviar Image Gallery and Blini-Making Process
© Collins Caviar Company used with permission
Collins Caviar Company in Michigan City, Ind., is the premier American freshwater caviar producer. In addition to a new line of flavored caviars, owner Rachel Collins has started to produce blini.
3. Traditional Russian Buckwheat Blini Recipe
Flickr by Culinary Fool
Traditional Russian blini or pancakes are made with a yeast-raised buckwheat flour batter. The buckwheat flour renders a nutty flavor and brown color to these pancakes. They can range from half-dollar to flapjack size. But for appetizers, half-dollars are more portable and easier to eat. Eastern Europeans like to top their blini with caviar and sometimes sour cream, minced onion, chopped hard-cooked eggs, and dill.
