Does no-kill caviar sound fishy to you? It doesn't have to.
A pricey indulgence that once required killing the sturgeon from which the eggs were harvested, may now be a sustainable delicacy. According to an article in Thursday's Independent, Mottra, a new caviar producer, has come up with a way to harvest the eggs without killing the fish: "The eggs are massaged out of each sturgeon through an incision in its lower abdomen." The company farms the sturgeon in Riga, Latvia. Once the eggs are extracted, the fish are allowed to heal and then produce the next year's harvest, while breeding normally.
One small step for your soirees; one giant leap for sustainable fishery.
Cosmetologists have long raided the kitchen cabinet to make everything from cucumber lotion to egg white shampoo, but Sunburst Trout Farm's Sally Eason believes her new trout caviar skin cream is unprecedented.
"I always heard caviar was the best thing for your skin," says Eason, whose family has been raising mountain trout in western North Carolina since World War II. Laughing, she adds: "I'm hoping I'm going to look like I'm 22."
Caviar beauty treatments aren't new, but none of the products currently on the market are made from golden trout roe. Sunburst Trout Farm has a history of extracting value from trout eggs, having pioneered trout caviar in the early 1990s. The tangerine-hued eggs have since surfaced at ritzy restaurants and on Jacques Pépin's television show.
But in 2007, Sunburst's processing plant was destroyed by light-fingered arsonists who made off with 670 pounds of the farm's treasured roe.
I can't claim credit for it, but by far the best New Year's resolution I've ever heard is "Drink more champagne." It flies in the face of the conventional model of resolutions, which entails discipline at best and deprivation at worst. When food and booze are involved in resolutions, "less" is typically the operative word.
For the second year running, I plan to include the word "more" in my resolutions, or at least the spirit of the word. I hardly have to tell myself to drink more champagne, but I could remind myself to seek out caviar more frequently, for instance, or to order that appetizer of pâté de campagne whenever it's on offer. Or I might resolve to develop my taste for Scotch, invest in crystal stemware, or host a bacchanal every month.
This is all sounding pretty highbrow so far, but it doesn't have to be. "Eat more fried shrimp/potatoes/okra/chicken" would work. So would "Never run out of PBR." Milkshakes, McDonald's fries, cream pies, waffles, mozzarella sticks...Plenty of inexpensive food is plenty decadent.
Are you sold yet? If so, what's your indulgent resolution?
If you've ever looked at one of those expensive containers of caviar and sighed -- have no fear! As Serious Eats points out, Ikea offers 80-gram jars of Abba lumpfish caviar for just $3.59. That's cheaper than a fancy coffee! More affordable than a frozen hamburger!
Of course, you won't get the taste of anything fancy (or necessarily good), but just think of the possibilities -- a fancy shmancy Ikea party. Slather those little globes on crackers, nestle yourself in a comfy Ikea chair with those insanely cheap candles burning, and listen to Abba on the stereo.
But I can't completely chide Ikea. I still love their shrimp and egg sandwiches, and I always hear great things about their Swedish meatballs. Do any of you out there partake in Ikea caviar?
Caviar is one of the most expensive foods in the world. There's a good reason for that: the Caspian sturgeon that the eggs come from are rare and getting even more so as the demand for caviar grows. One way to to alleviate the strain on those giant fish is to create an imitation caviar, and that's what one Japanese company has done.
According to Inventor Spot, the Hokuyu Company makes an imitation called Cavianne that looks very similar to the original. They say that it is also lower in calories than black caviar (which I had no idea was high in calories), in addition to being a way to stop the poaching and pollution that go into obtaining the real thing.
Cavianne has been around for a few years, now, but it's mainly sold wholesale to restaurants and hotels in Japan. Apparently the taste isn't quite up to snuff, but its inventor, Susumu Mikami, says that if he can get the taste of Cavianne closer to the real thing then his company will try to export it globally.
Caviar seems to represent luxury and good taste, both in food and in life, so caviar fans can rejoice that the global ban on caviar is being lifted this year as stocks of sturgeons are up and caviar-producers can start exporting their wares again. Farmed caviar, and American caviar in general, is still an outstanding alternative for a caviar fan because it is often a good value and seems to be improving in quality every year.
If you're not a fan of the fish eggs, you're not alone. There is an alternative to them that will give you the same classic look, but with a much improved texture and flavor: Chocaviar. This caviar is made with chocolate from the Italian chocolate-maker Venchi, which has been expressing "chocolate's soul" since 1878. Each little piece of chocolate is dusted with unsweetened cocoa powder, which intensifies the flavor (something you might not want with the fishier caviar) and makes the product slightly reminiscent of tiny chocolate truffles.
Greenwashing is the term that is applied when mass market products (junk food, mostly) are made over with some organic ingredients, giving consumers the idea that they are buying something good/good for them. There are several ways to identify their packaging. Look for: farms and fields, possibly dotted with giant vegetables and a cute tractor, diversity if any people are pictured, animals with "special skills or great emotional range" (sunglasses, saxophones etc.), family photographs for a family-owned company and have a cause of some kind. Toss in some subdued coloring and you have a greenwashed product that is sure to fly off the shelves.
What music, if any, should be played in a restaurant's dining room? Some restaurateurs go it alone, but as the complaints start to pile in, many turn to the pros for assistance. Professionals can fit the music to the restaurant, the staff, the food and the time of day to try to create the ultimate dining experience for their guests.
The caviar ban is lifted and exports from caviar-producing countries can begin again.
Absinthe is a spirit flavored with wormwood and a variety of other herbs and spices. Thujone, a chemical in wormwood, gives the spirit an "evergreen aroma" and causes it to become milky when diluted. It is legal throughout Europe (dispite a lack of regulation as to what precisely should go into it), but not in the US.
For the ultimate dining experience, some recommend dining off the menu, rather than from it. Often, it is the regulars who find out about the availability of such dishes, but usually they are available for anyone who orders them.
Everyone has their Christmas morning traditions. When I was a kid, we couldn't open any of our gifts (OK, maybe our stockings) until mom had had her first cup of coffee. I don't really have any traditions or rules like that anymore, because I have my own place now and I go over to my sister's house later in the day and exchange gifts and she usually cooks, but a lot of people have certain things they always eat or drink on Christmas morning, even beyond the coffee you have in the morning or the turkey you have for dinner.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of caviar, although it does give a certain impressive air to parties and the quality of the American product has increased significantly over the past few years, meaning that good-quality caviar is often available at a reasonable price for those who do like it. If you are thinking about serving caviar at any of your holiday parties, you might want to take a look at the Caviar and Bubbles brochure from Schramsberg Vineyards. It was produced in conjunction with the Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Company and is a guide to pairing champagne, specifically six Schramsberg blends, with caviar. Three different types of caviar are recommended for each champagne. The Brut Rosé, for example, pairs with the Beet and Saffron Whitefish, Truffled Tiger-Eyed Whitefish and/or Gold Pearl Trout. The guide is available both as a PDF and can be ordered through the mail from Schramsberg.
Caviar is growing in popularity, and to try to meet the demand, more farmers are turning to farmed caviar. Some predict that its production will double - from 64 tons to 125 tons - in the next 4 years. Of course, the Caspian Sea produced 125 tons last year, before a firm limit was placed on wild caviar to protect the existence of the sturgeons. Want to get in on what may be a new caviar trend? Here are some caviar tasting notes and where to get farmed caviar.
Alex Witchell's drink of choice seems to be bourbon and soda and she discovers that sometimes bartenders underpour, and sometimes male bartenders at even fancy restaurants make weaker drinks for women than for men.
It sounds like spinach and other produce may be subjected to a new set of standards, both for production and packaging, as a result of the fact that the recent E-Coli outbreak has drawn attention to some issues in the industry.
Ducasse is closing Essex House in January in favor of a partnership with St Regis Hotels and Resorts.
A brief lesson on tasting chilis, how to do it and how to appreciate their diverse flavors.
Frank Bruni dines at Da Silvano and gives it one star.
Mushroom caviar is a food that gets its name from a slight resemblance to real caviar, when in fact it is simply a type of dip or spread made with mushrooms - no fish eggs to be found. This version of the recipe was posted by Elise at Simply Recipes and I'm fairly certain I have never seen mushrooms look this good. The caviar is made by sauteeing finely chopped mushrooms with some butter, shallots and a bit of garlic, then topping it off before serving by mixing in some sour cream and toasted pinenuts. It is chilled before serving. Elise served hers with crackers, but I can't help by think that it would be at least as delicious with some sliced baguette pieces. Besides, you can pile more onto a slice of bread than you can onto a cracker, right?
Caviar is synonymous with class and elegance, even though it is such a small thing. While it sounds exotic, I have
recently noticed that it is becoming more and more common. I'm not referring to banned beluga or other imported caviars, but to
domestic ones. I recently saw caviar offered for sale in the refrigerator case at my local Trader Joe's and the caviar
in the photo above is a domestic from the Seattle Caviar Company, which deals
with both imported options and with domestics. Luxist offers us a wealth of caviar options at a
variety of prices, including a vegetarian
option. To impress with caviar without breaking the bank, try looking at the domestics. A high quality domestic will be
less expensive and just a delicious as an imported caviar.
Perhaps not surprisingly, caviar tastes fishy, so it's best to serve it to guests who like fish. One of the
great benefits of serving it is that there is no cooking required - except for the use of a toaster. I like to make
toast soldiers, which are strips of toasted whole wheat bread, and dab the end with sour cream, creme fraiche or
mascarpone cheese. Top the cheese with a bit of caviar, or let the guests do it themselves. Be sure to leave one end of
the toast uncovered, so they're easy to handle.
In my roundup of yesterday's New York Times food section, I somehow overlooked an interesting article about restaurants that
are serving fruit in caviar form. As with much of the mad science cooking coming out of restaurants like WD-50 and
Alinea, creating caviar-like pearls of food can be traced back to El Bulli's Ferran Adriá. Basically, the caviar
is made by combining some sort of fruit base with sodium alginate, a gelling agent, and sodium citrate, an
anticoagulant. The thickened fruit mixture is then dribbled into a solution of water and calcium chloride, a common
preservative. Pictured here is WD-50's cocoa caviar with beet and tangerine ravioli. Ah, science.
If you've ever looked at one of those expensive containers of caviar and sighed -- have no fear! As 
Caviar seems to represent luxury and good taste, both in food and in life, so caviar fans can rejoice that the global 
Greenwashing
What should your last meal of 2006 be? Why, 
Everyone has their Christmas morning traditions. When I was a kid, we couldn't open any of our gifts (OK, maybe our stockings) until mom had had her first cup of coffee. I don't really have any traditions or rules like that anymore, because I have my own place now and I go over to my sister's house later in the day and exchange gifts and she usually cooks, but a lot of people have certain things they always eat or drink on Christmas morning, even beyond the coffee you have in the morning or the turkey you have for dinner.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of caviar, although it does give a 
Caviar
In my roundup of yesterday's New York Times food section, I somehow overlooked an interesting 
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