Carefully place the quail eggs in a saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the eggs. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat and cover. Let sit for 4 minutes.

Drain the eggs and plunge into cold water. Once the eggs have cooled, tap the eggs gently to crack the shell and peal carefully.

Slice each egg in half and use a small fork or spoon to carefully remove the yolks.

Place the yolks in a small bowl, and add the crème fraîche and dijon mustard. Mix well.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

To fill the eggs, a pastry bag is very handy, but not necessary. We used the plastic bag method which works just fine. Spoon the filling into the bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Fill each egg carefully with about a heaping teaspoon of filling.

Garnish with caviar, a snip of chive, and serve. Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

10 quail eggs
3 tablespoons of crème fraîche
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1 to 2 ounces of Siberian Sturgeon or White Sturgeon caviar
1 pastry bag or small plastic ziplock bag
Salt and pepper to taste

 —

Products Used: Crème Fraîche, Siberian Sturgeon Caviar, White Sturgeon Caviar

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and sugar until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and cool until it is warm to the touch. Sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt, sift. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir the milk mixture well and add it and the melted butter to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hour.

After the batter has risen, incorporate the eggs and beat until smooth.

We use a plastic squirt bottle to help control portion size – count to two for each blini. Using a pre-heated griddle, cook the blini until bubbles appear on the top, then flip and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Fresh warm blini, crème fraîche and your favorite caviar – Perfect!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 large eggs, slightly beaten

—

Products Used: Crème Fraîche, Caviar

INSTRUCTIONS

With a round cookie cutter, make two “pies” per slice of bread.

Brush each “pie” with olive oil on each side. I did not have access to an oven, so I toasted the pies on a griddle for about 2 minutes per side. Chop the eggs and combine with the mayo, herbs and salt, to make a nice egg salad.

To Assemble: Layer egg salad, frost with crème fraiche and finish with concentric circles of three colors of caviar. Your palette is small, but with a little time, your finished product is not only beautiful but delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 12 mini pies

6 slices white sandwich bread
Desert Miracle Olive Oil
4 large eggs hard-boiled
¼ cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
Fresh Dill
Fresh Chives
Russell’s Salt
¼ cup Bellwether Farms Crème Fraîche
1 ounce Golden Whitefish Caviar
1 ounce Salmon Ikura Caviar
1 ounce Paddlefish Caviar

—

Products Used: Crème Fraîche, Golden Whitefish Caviar, Salmon Ikura Caviar, Paddlefish Caviar, Desert Miracle Olive Oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel potatoes and grate using a hand grater or food processor. Soak the grated potatoes in cold water. Squeeze as much liquid out as possible and transfer them to a second bowl.

In a heavy-based 8" skillet. Add the oil (about 1/8" deep) and heat. When it begins to ripple & quiver, take a fistful of potatoes, wring again and let fall loosely into the center of the pan, working quickly, cover the entire pan. With a fork, spread the potatoes to make a layer 1/2" thick. Cook the underside until it is a deep golden brown. Carefully flip the rosti in the pan or loosen it and put a dinner sized plate on top of the pan and flip the rosti onto the plate, then slide the inverted rosti back into the pan and continue cooking until the new bottom is browned, about 6-8 minutes.

Slide the rosti onto a cutting board. Cut into wedges or cut with a round pastry cutter for individual rosti. Serve with crème fraîche and your favorite caviar.

—

INGREDIENTS

1 pound potatoes (Yukon Golds or Russets are best)
1 ½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoom vegetable or olive oil
1 to 2 ounce of your favorite caviar

—
Products Used: Caviar, Crème Fraîche

INSTRUCTIONS

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer until just tender but still quite firm, 15 to twenty minutes. Remove all but 6 potatoes. Cook these until soft, about 5 more minutes.

When cool enough to handle, carefully cut off the very tops of the potato. Using a melon ball spoon, scoop out as much potato as possible while leaving at least a 1/4-inch-thick wall remaining. Reserve potato flesh and set aside. Cut a small slice off the bottom of each potato shell so it will stand upright. Place scooped potato in a small metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water to keep warm.

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan until butter melts. Push the reserved potato flesh and 6 remaining potatoes, peeled, through a ricer or food-mill, into a bowl. Stir in milk and butter a little at a time until creamy. Stir in the crème fraîche, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon chives.

Place potato mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip. Arrange the potato shells on a baking sheet. Pipe filling into the shells, making sure to cover cut edges.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and slightly puffed. Brush with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes more.

Top each potato with a spoonful of caviar and sprinkle with chives.

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS

32 small red potatoes (about 3/4 pound)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon butter, plus 2 tablespoons more for brushing
1/4 cup crème fraîche
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chives, plus more for garnish
3 ounces White Sturgeon caviar or Siberian Sturgeon caviar (about 1/4 teaspoon per potato)

—

Products Used: Crème Fraîche, White Sturgeon Caviar, Siberian Sturgeon Caviar