My sister and I present this as a Christmas Dinner dish in our Holiday 2020 video, but rest assured it is just as perfect for Hanukkah, New Year’s Eve or even a fancy Meatless Monday meal.

What I love about this hollandaise recipe is that all the stress about not scrambling the eggs is essentially gone by using this easy blender method. I came across this method when making Eggs Benedict with Tsar Nicoulai Caviar as an Easter dish a couple of years ago, and I haven’t turned back since. Seriously this makes hollandaise so easy, #eggsbennyalldayeveryday.

Gently boiling the asparagus spears in water then tossing in an ice bath will give this dish a nice vibrant green color; however, I can never resist the flavor of roasted asparagus and prefer to prepare it that way. It is beautiful either way, so pick your favorite method! The asparagus is then topped with the effortless hollandaise and caviar. I think Tsar Nicoulai’s Golden Reserve caviar is perfect for this dish. It feels very celebratory and it’s my favorite of our grades.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy Hanukkah, Christmas and Holiday Season!

Cheers,

Olga

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH HOLLANDAISE SAUCE & CAVIAR

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

1lb medium cooked asparagus

1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of white pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp salt

2oz (or more) Tsar Nicoulai Caviar

METHOD

1. Blend egg yolk, lemon juice and pepper with an immersion blender (or in a regular blender) until combined

2. With the blender running, gradually add the butter until a frothy sauce forms. If the sauce is too thick you can thin out with a teaspoon of lukewarm water. Season with salt.

3. Arrange asparagus on a serving platter, top with hollandaise and Tsar Nicoulai Caviar.

Notes:

1. I had a hard time doubling the hollandaise recipe, so I made it twice and combined when I wanted to double the recipe to serve 8.

2. It would be best to make the sauce just before serving, but it can be kept warm in a heat-proof bowl set over hot (not simmering) water.

Everyone can probably agree that 2020 has been a bit nutty. Between wildfires, a global pandemic, social unrest, and a rocky election year, it has been hard not to lose joy and hope in the last several months. Many of our restaurant partners had to temporarily or permanently shut down or completely re-work their businesses due to the fires and COVID-19. Though things got quiet for us too, our farm continued to hustle and produce the same standard and quality of caviar for which we are known in the foodie world.

When shelter in place just started, people turned to their phones and computers for interaction. Many people connected with others through baking frenzies, myself included. In addition to not really liking sourdough, I didn’t think I could commit to feeding another being in the house without completely losing my mind (sourdough starters need to be tended to like extra children). I opted instead for the easy no-knead Dutch Oven baked bread loaves that dotted my Instagram feed and Pinterest board with a crisp golden brown.

As much as I love a slice fresh from the oven and slathered in butter, after a while it was time to take things up a notch. A crunchy neutral base is a natural match for caviar, so I thought this pairing was a no brainer. Inspired by the Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches, I put together a Smørrebørd Smorgasbord Board, if you will.  

The smokehouse at our farm is producing some amazing smoked fish products that go extremely well with this kind of concept. I grabbed our popular Estate Smoked Sturgeon and our Smoked Salmon as well as two of our new products, Hot and Sweet Smoked Sturgeon and an addictive Smoked Sturgeon Pate.

First, I started with a beautiful wooden cutting board. I added a tin of Tsar Nicoulai Reserve Caviar, and jars of Gold Pearl Salmon Roe and naturally infused Ginger Whitefish Roe. I drizzled slices of my homemade “COVID bread” with olive oil and broiled them until they were perfectly crunchy. I arranged those on the board around the caviar along with some crackers and colorful chips. Next, I added my smokehouse goodies and then I filled in the rest of the board with herbed goat cheese spread, sliced salami, and cucumber rounds.  Everything was garnished with cornichons, capers, caperberries, red grapes and dill sprigs.

Of course, not everyone spent their isolation perfecting their bread game, so obviously purchased bread loaves would be totally applicable here. In fact, support a local bakery that may have been hanging by a thread through all of this and could use the extra business. Feel free to vary the bases and include some cocktail blini (we have a great mix for that!) or switch up the caviar selection. The possibilities are endless!

To make this COVID-hangout-friendly, pre-arrange the smørrebørd sandwiches instead to make social distancing easier. Pack this up into a picnic basket and enjoy at a park or outdoor bar that allows outside food.

As we hopefully are moving our way toward the light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel, we think it is imperative to bring some little joys back into our lives; whether it be responsible socializing with our friends and family or small splurges to indulge on at home. May we all learn from the trials of this year and may we all greet the upcoming holiday season safe, healthy, and happy.

Cheers!

Olga

This year the holidays will be looking a little different, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still make our favorite dishes or indulge in some new ones.

In our recent holiday video my sister and I shared three party dish ideas for your home entertaining (or self-isolating). If you don’t feel like celebrating this year or you celebrate other holidays, these dishes aren’t married to any particular day, so serve them whenever. We’ve all thrown the “rules” out the window for 2020 anyway, right? Lights on the house in October, pumpkin spice through January. No judgement here, ever. We are all in this together.

I will start with the non-recipe recipe we assigned to Thanksgiving. The other recipes will get their own post to keep things easy and organized.

Though I do like to stir up drama and go for new dishes where tradition usually wins (No full bird this year, anyone?), I think we found a good compromise for something that’s different but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of your menu or your family favorites. That is, caviar butter for your biscuits or bread.

The caviar compound butter is made by adding caviar (or roe if you prefer) into softened butter. I’m always absurdly excited when a restaurant brings over crusty bread with housemade butters flavored with things like lavender and honey or a dusting of pink sea salt, usually irresistibly smoothed out in a delicate little dish. So this is inspired by that euphoria I feel from eating good butter. I’m convinced small things like this make people happier and nicer. This may be a bold statement, but I think we can make the world a better place, one delicious dish of (caviar) butter at a time.

Cheers,

Olga

CAVIAR BUTTER 

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS

1 stick of softened unsalted butter

1oz of Tsar Nicoulai Caviar or Roe (in the video we use Tsar Nicoulai Classic)

METHOD

Carefully fold caviar into softened butter so that it is evenly incorporated. Place in bowl and chill. Let soften before serving.

NOTES

A couple additional notes about this recipe:

1. Definitely use unsalted butter as the caviar adds enough salt.

2. Make sure the butter is very soft (but not melted) and that you very carefully fold in the caviar. Otherwise the caviar will streak and it won’t look very appetizing.

3. You could serve one or two bigger ramekins of the butter at the table with a basket of biscuits, or have a small decorative plate at each place setting with a biscuit/bread and some butter.

4. Pro Tip – save yourself the energy and grab Immaculate Baking Co.’s Organic Flaky Biscuits. SO. GOOD.

We are proud to welcome a new member to our farm - Picolo! Proud papa, Clipper and mama, Clippret are doing well. Clipper is very happy with his new little family. 

Clipper had spent some time romancing the neighboring horses but to no avail. The farmers next door weren't looking to breed and Clipper had to be moved from his winter stall to his summer stall. Clipper had a hard time resisting forbidden love and tried many times to break down the fence and visit horses on either side of our farm. 

We were finally able to find the perfect mate for Clipper from his original home. Clipper picked his own love from pictures shown to him on an iPad. Luckily Clippret was also interested. After almost a year of a beautiful romance, Clipper and Clippret brought Picolo into the world. The family has settled into their new life on the farm and are frolicking happily ever after. 

I absolutely adore cooking with my mom because she cooks with so much wisdom and laid back-ness. And I also get to see from where I get all my tendencies to spill. It's really not my fault. I can blame my mom.

Every time my mom visits I usually find an excuse to rope her into cooking something. A decade ago it was my husband's big 30th birthday, another year it was a church lunch. This visit I decided she would help me out with a Valentine's Day inspired dish for Tsar Nicoulai. 

If you're cooking for someone for Valentine's Day, you really want it to show that you went out of your way to make it extra special. That you thought about the person and how much you care about them while you made them something to eat together. I instantly thought of fresh pasta. Fresh pasta just puts out that "I care about you" vibe. Plus my mom is really good at pasta. 

She quickly whipped up some pasta dough in the food processor without a recipe of course, so I grabbed a recipe online that looks identical to what she did (see below). After the dough rested we rolled it out with a pasta roller to no thicker than a nickel. We then cut out hearts out of the pasta sheets with a cookie cutter. So cheesy, I know, but, well, Valentine's Day. 

While the dough was resting we made our filling. We mixed some steamed, cleaned and chopped lobster with ricotta, salt and pepper to taste (secret short cut: ask the seafood department if they can steam the lobster for you). You can add some parmigiana to the filling if you want, or some herbs. You can also save some nice big pieces of lobster for garnish. We spooned the filling onto half the hearts, then topped them with another pasta heart and sealed the edges. Then we threw them in to some salted boiling water until they were done. 

While the ravioli were cooking, I made the cream sauce. The cream sauce basically comes together by sauteing some finely chopped shallot in butter, pouring in a bit of white wine and letting it reduce by about half, then stirring in some heavy cream and reducing again until the sauce has thickened. Also, season with salt to taste. Pool the sauce on the plate, top with the lobster ravioli hearts, and top with whatever Tsar Nicoulai caviar or roe is your favorite (we happen to like the flavor and the color of the Beet & Saffron for this particular dish). Chopped greens for color. 

It is not too late to order some caviar or roe for Valentine's Day! We are still running our Valentine's Day special - 25% off with promo code vday19 - until February 14th, 2019. 

Also, visit our Instagram feed for information on how to enter our Giveaway! One lucky winner will receive our Estate Collection Party Set to enjoy on Valentine's Day. Deadline to enter is February 11th at 12pm (PST). USA mailing addresses only. 

Na Zdarovye,

Olga

Pasta Dough (recipe from www.thekitchn.com)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3 large eggs

Method

1. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine.

2. Crack the eggs on top of the flour.

3. Put the lid on the food processor and process for 30-60 seconds until the dough comes together into a rough ball.

4. If the dough doesn't come together after a minute and looks like small pebbles or cous cous, add a teaspoon of water and process again. Repeat until the dough comes together.

5. If the dough is sticky and smears against the sides of the bowl, add a tablespoon of flour and process again. Repeat until the dough comes together.

6. Remove the dough from the food processor. Knead against the counter a few times until it comes together into a smooth ball.

7. Dust the dough with a little flour and place it in a small mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

I like to end the year (or start the new one) on a fun, festive and delicious note. As the work and neighborhood parties slow down and we get ready to ring in the New Year, I wanted to show you what beautiful bites you can put together without much work, leaving yourself some extra time to perfect a signature cocktail, or to just relax.

I found some fun tart shells (round and diamond-ish) at a local grocery store and immediately envisioned elegant and effortless bites for a New Year's Eve party. I chose to use Reserve Caviar and Gold Pearl Salmon Roe, but pretty much any of the Tsar Nicoulai selection will work for this versatile appetizer.

The taller round ones were filled with the roe and a sprig of dill for garnish. I spooned a shallow layer of creme fraiche in the diamond tart shell and topped with the Reserve. I alternated the toppings to make them even more festive. On some I put caviar only on half, making them black and white, others were filled in all the way, and on the rest I did half caviar with half roe. The jewel tones definitely popped and made these bites extra bright and party ready. 

If you want to add a little more flavor complexity, you could mix in some lemon zest and/or fresh herbs into the creme fraiche before putting it into the tart shells. The tall round pastry shells would work beautifully with our smoked fish options as well. The variations are pretty much endless. 

If you use Tsar Nicoulai Caviar for your holiday party, definitely tag us on Instagram so we can see your awesome ideas! 

Wishing everyone a beautiful New Year! 

Na Zdarovye,

Olga

I absolutely love big gatherings of family and friends, but I think I love the before and after parts even more. Those moments when you are still waiting on family to arrive and everyone sits around helping to prep, or after the loud festivities are over and the intimate, quiet and deep conversations stretch late into the night or through the next day. The before is full of excitement and fun, the after is relaxed and cozy. These times to me are the most precious. 

We just so happened to have discovered a dish that you can spoil your family and friends with during these pre-event dinners or post-event brunches. It works for the main event too, but I like to imagine this dish served when everyone can slow down a bit. No one is rushing for dessert or presents or proposals or photos. Everyone is in the moment, warmed up by gratitude, love and maybe a cocktail. Everyone can take the time to appreciate the preparation and care that went into the food. 

This dish was served in Momofuku Ko, David Chang's almost impossible to get into 12 seat restaurant in New York City. It is a smoked soft-cooked egg, atop onion soubise, garnished with caviar and served along side homemade potato chips and a tiny herby salad. It sounds intimidating, but for all it's luxury it is actually approachable and not that scary. 

The onion soubise comes together in a saucepan almost on it's own with basically just 3 simple ingredients (sliced onion, water and butter) plus salt. It needs occasional stirring and a watchful eye, but it is also can be made up to 2 days ahead, which is especially helpful during stressful holidays. The eggs are made by following Chang's simple 5:10 method -  eggs from the fridge go into boiling water for 5 minutes and 10 seconds, then into an ice bath before they are peeled underwater. The most nerve-wracking thing about the preparation is probably trying to carefully peel the egg. 

The other glorious thing about this dish is that it will still read luxurious even if you cut some corners. Our time saving suggestions would be to skip smoking the eggs and purchase potato chips instead of frying your own. If you aren't able to splurge for expensive caviar, a nice trout or salmon roe will still make this dish top notch. 

The silky yolk, creamy onions and crunchy chips will work together beautifully with any Tsar Nicoulai caviar or roe options. Bring something special to the table this year. Relish the time with your family and friends during the holiday season. It flies too fast to let all those simple happy moments go uncelebrated. 

Na Zdarovye, 

Olga

Soft-Cooked Eggs with Onion Soubise, Caviar and Potato Chips (serves 8 as an appetizer)
From the Bon Appetit website

Ingredients

ONION SOUBISE 
12 ounces onions (about 2 medium), halved, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 
1/2 cup water 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, room temperature 
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 
  
SMOKED EGGS 
8 large eggs, room temperature 
3 cups water 
1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke* 
  
CHIPS AND SALAD 
4 3x3/4-inch fingerling potatoes (about 4 ounces), scrubbed 
Grapeseed oil (for frying) 
Coarse kosher salt 
1/2 cup mixed herb leaves (such as 1/4 cup chervil or tarragon, 2 tablespoons parsley, and 2 tablespoons 1-inch pieces fresh chives) 
2 ounces Tsar Nicoulai Caviar*
Smoked salt or Maldon sea salt 
4 teaspoons purple sweet potato vinegar (see Ingredient Tip) or Sherry wine vinegar

Method

ONION SOUBISE

      1. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer uncovered over lowest possible heat until onions are very tender, and butter and water are reduced to a silky sauce, stirring often, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool, cover and chill. Rewarm before serving. 

SMOKED EGGS

1. Bring large saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Add eggs to water gently to prevent cracking. Cook 5 minutes. Transfer eggs to large bowl of ice water. When cool enough to handle, crack eggs gently all over on flat surface. Return to ice water and peel carefully. (Do not break eggs; yolks will be runny.)

2. Mix 3 cups water and 1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke in large saucepan. Add peeled eggs to water. Cover and chill overnight.

CHIPS AND SALAD

1. Using V-slicer or mandoline, thinly slice potatoes crosswise. Rinse potato slices in small bowl of water. Drain. Rinse until water runs clear, 1 or 2 times more. Drain well. Place on kitchen towel; pat dry.

2. Pour enough oil into large deep saucepan to measure depth of 1 inch. Attach deep-fry thermometer to side of pan. Heat oil to 360°F. Working in 3 batches, fry potatoes until beginning to brown and crisp, stirring frequently to prevent slices from sticking together, about 1 minute per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Cool. Transfer to clean paper towels.

3. Using slotted spoon, gently transfer eggs to medium bowl. Bring smoked water to gentle simmer over medium heat. Carefully slide eggs from bowl into water. Cook until heated through, about 4 minutes. Rewarm soubise. Mix herbs together in small bowl.

4. Spoon generous 2 tablespoons soubise onto each plate, using back of spoon to create small indentation for egg. Divide potato chips among plates, creating small mound alongside soubise. Spoon small pile of herb salad alongside chips and soubise. Place 1 egg atop soubise on each plate. Using small sharp knife, cut 1-inch-long slit in each egg (yolk will spill out). Spoon small dollop of caviar atop yolks, dividing equally. Sprinkle with small pinch smoked salt. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon vinegar alongside soubise on each plate.

 *Tsar Nicoulai Caviar not specified in original recipe

We had the pleasure of hosting former Top Chef contestants Melissa King and Casey Thompson at the Sturgeon Farm this month for a tour. This was an opportunity to continue our mission to collaborate with creative and talented minds and make sure that the people who use our product really understand where it comes from and what makes it so special. I hadn't been on the farm in a while so it was also interesting for me to see how much has changed and grown since my last visit. 

Chef Melissa is the chef ambassador for Whole Foods Market and makes some bomb ice cream flavors for Humphrey Slocombe, like Hong Kong Milk Tea and Yuzu Cream. Melissa is getting a lot of buzz in the culinary world - she is named as "40 Under 40 Rising Stars" and one of "The Best Female Chefs in San Francisco". To no surprise, Chef Casey was selected Fan Favorite on her season of Top Chef. Casey currently consults for restaurants and hotels, offering her unique and clever food style for a variety of cuisines. She appears at many events on the culinary scene, putting together inspiring dishes. 

The tour started at Kathy's House - the estate house by the farm property that was once owned and inhabited by an interesting and kind woman. A fan of Tsar Nicoulai's practices, she offered the house to the company and donated the profits to charity. With a large welcoming tree out front and an inviting pool in the yard, Kathy's House has become the heart of the Sturgeon Farm. 

We visited the lettuce greenhouses where Ali, Vice President of Tsar Nicoulai, explained the amazing work we are doing with UC Davis and some of the best minds in aquaculture and aquaponics. As fans whirred above us, we peeked at some of the floating roots underneath the vibrant, luscious heads of butter lettuce. Little honeycomb shapes bobbed in the water below, trapping the nutrients in the water for the greens. We were each able to take a bite of some hearty lettuce on our way out.

Ali explained how everything we do at the farm is just following Mother Nature's lead to create something even more amazing.  As I have mentioned on the blog before, the nutrients absorbed by the lettuce come from the natural fish waste in the tanks. In hydroponics, these nutrients are added in to the water. We don't have to do that. We actually add nothing extra besides a little bit more water to make up for evaporation. There is also no risk of E. coli because there is no soil. Everything is as efficient and sustainable as it can be. The lettuce grows because of the fish (just like water hyacinth might naturally grow on a pond) and the fish thrive with the help of the lettuce. 

The tour also included a little farm with chickens (from which we get fresh eggs), goats, turkeys, and a beautiful horse. This farm sits outside the smoke house which has grown a lot since the last time I saw it. The team on the farm smoke sturgeon and salmon themselves, using a recipe created by our resident Willy Wonka, Auggie.

After trying out several different wood varieties, he discovered that the neighboring farm's applewood created the best flavor. Is that not the very essence of "terroir"? We all happily tried samples of the smoked sturgeon and salmon, which paired beautifully with fruit pulled from trees growing on the farm, I mean...

Our fish are grown where they live. The chefs, Ali, Xenia (Tsar Nicoulai's graphic designer) and I joined Auggie at the different tanks housing the tiny 2018 fish in one area to giant veterans in another. They spawn here, they hatch here, they grow here. They are carefully separated (by hand) first by size, later by sex. They are cared for, they are respected. Auggie caringly and easily scooped up a baby fish in his hand and talked about how they are grown here on the farm. Casey commented on how she hasn't seen anything like this. It's true, we are the only sturgeon farm doing what we do, from the very start to the absolute finish. Our farm team is made up of real, salt of the earth people, making a product with integrity, passion and pride. We all tried to catch and say hello to a little fish, but none of us could come close. Auggie is a true sturgeon whisperer. 

We create single origin, single batch caviar. We strive to work with the brightest people in all our collaborations. Our partnerships keep growing and becoming more and more exciting. We were thrilled to have Melissa and Casey on our farm - two chefs who are innovative, passionate and care about their craft. Because of their love for local and sustainable ingredients, we were so honored to take the time and show them why and how we do what we do!

The tour ended where it started, at the heart - Kathy's house - where we shared our caviar and smoked fish with Melissa and Casey. Warm toasts and interesting ideas for the future (and Pringles!), were passed around the table. It could not have been a better day! 

Na Zdarovye!

Olga

There is a new trend in knowing the story behind your food that we hope doesn’t fade out. Over centuries, the gap between farm and plate has widened for Americans. We shop the aisles of our grocery stores and know nothing about who grows or raises the food that we consume. How do they treat the animals, the crops, the environment? What are they putting into this food that we then absorb into our bodies? We have become so disconnected that some children may not even realize the milk they drink comes from a cow.

Thankfully recent food movements and trends are pushing to bridge this gap. It is important for us to know the answers to all those questions, so we can make educated decisions about what we eat based on what is important to us. Someone may be concerned about GMOs and growth hormones, while someone else is dedicated to helping our environment, or both.

At Tsar Nicoulai, we are passionate about keeping the food we produce clean and healthy and using practices that don’t harm our environment. Our sturgeon live in tanks that mimic their natural habitat. They are fed non-GMO feed and are never given growth hormones, so you can be confident in the quality of the fish. A sturgeon will be on the farm upwards of eight years, requiring much dedication from our farmers and team to make sure that the fish are healthy and happy under the California sun. Our farmers have even been known to sing to our fish. You might think that doesn't affect the outcome of our caviar, but we would challenge you to prove it doesn't ;-). 

We recently implemented an aquaponics system to grow lettuce. The natural waste from the fish tanks flows down to our floating lettuce plants. The lettuce takes the rich nutrients from the water, cleans it and sends it back to the fish tanks. It is an incredibly sustainable, closed system that produces great caviar, and great lettuce, not to mention how much better it is for our environment. This is what we believe we should be supporting and the types of food that we should be consuming. 

As a company, Tsar Nicoulai is completely hands on. We control every part of the process in every product we make. We check and control the quality of our caviar ourselves. Because of this we can also be 100% confident in the safety practices used in all aspects of our business. We have nothing to hide and are always happy to discuss our production with our customers.

Do we want to support a company that doesn't take pride in their product or their employees? What would that say about the product itself?

We want to take a moment this Labor Day to recognize our employees, farmers and partners at Tsar Nicoulai Caviar. It is because of all of them that we can be proud of the caviar, roe, smoked goods and lettuce that we produce. We love to share the passion of our team with our customers as it is important to us that they know where their seafood comes from and just how great it is!