Caviar And Cheese Ball Zakuska Iz Tvoroga I Ikri Recipes

CAVIAR SPREAD

Steps:

• Finely chop the eggs; season with salt and pepper to taste. Peel, seed and chop the cucumber. Blot with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Reserve 1/2 cup of caviar for the garnish.
• In an 8-inch round serving dish, layer the ingredients in the following order: cream cheese, caviar, eggs, sliced green onions, cucumber, and mayonnaise. Garnish with chopped green onions and the reserved caviar; you can make a pretty pattern with the caviar. Serve with crackers.

CAVIAR, CREAM CHEESE, SCALLION, AND EGG TOWERS

Steps:

• Make filling:
• In a bowl beat cream cheese until fluffy. Quarter eggs and with back of a spoon force through a coarse sieve into cream cheese. Add scallion and stir well. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring filling to room temperature before proceeding.
• On a work surface arrange 2 egg sheets, side by side and overlapping by 1 inch. Put a dab of filling between sheets where they overlap (to act as glue) and press sheets together gently. Spread 1/2 cup filling on overlapping egg sheets, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on each long side. Fold in border of long side nearest you and tightly roll up sheets jelly-roll fashion into one 11-inch-long roll. Wrap egg sheet roll in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour, or until firm. Make 3 more egg sheet rolls with remaining egg sheets and filling in same manner. Egg sheet rolls may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped well.
• Discard plastic wrap and trim ends of egg sheet rolls. Cut rolls crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces. Arrange pieces, cut ends up, on a platter and top each with about 1/4 teaspoon caviar.
• To make egg sheets:
• In a bowl dissolve cornstarch in water and whisk in eggs and salt until smooth. Brush a non-stick skillet measuring 6 inches across bottom lightly with oil and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Half-fill a 1/4-cup measure with egg mixture. Remove skillet from heat and pour in 1/8 cup egg mixture, swirling skillet to coat evenly. Return skillet to heat and cook egg sheet until set, 10 to 15 seconds. Loosen edges of egg sheet with a heatproof rubber spatula and turn sheet over. Cook egg sheet until set, 5 to 10 seconds more, and slide onto a plate. Make more egg sheets with remaining mixture in same manner, brushing skillet lightly with oil each time. Egg sheets may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap. Makes 8 or 9 egg sheets.

CAVIAR DIP

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer on medium speed, add the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, scallion, milk, salt, and pepper. With a rubber spatula, fold in 3/4 of the salmon roe. Spoon the dip into a bowl and garnish with the remaining salmon roe and sprigs of fresh dill.
• Serve with chips, toasts, or crackers.

CAVIAR SANDWICH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the crème fraîche, scallions, black pepper and kosher salt. Stir aggressively with a rubber spatula until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the crème fraîche is smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
• Bring a small pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Carefully lower your eggs into the boiling water using a slotted spoon, taking care not to crack the shells. Cook the eggs for 7 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil. Remove eggs to a bowl of ice water, and cool completely. Gently crack eggs all over, peel and roughly chop. Set aside.
• Toast white bread until light golden brown. Remove from toaster, and butter each slice, as we say, wall to wall.
• Repeat with the scallion crème fraîche so that both halves of each sandwich have an even schmear.
• Spread an even layer of chopped egg on 4 slices (of the total of 8 slices) of toast.
• Evenly dot the caviar on top of the chopped egg.
• Sprinkle chives on top of the caviar.
• Place the remaining 4 slices of crème-fraîche toast on top of the egg-caviar side. Press down very gently, and slice in half on the bias. Serve at once.

PASTRY PUFFS WITH CAVIAR

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a large baking sheet.
• Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to moderate. Add flour all at once and cook, beating with a wooden spoon until mixture pulls away from side of pan, about 45 seconds. Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add 2 raw eggs 1 at a time, beating well with wooden spoon after each addition.
• Transfer mixture to pastry bag and pipe 24 mounds (about 1 inch wide by 1 inch high) onto baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. With a finger dipped in water, lightly tap down points on mounds to make tops round. Bake profiteroles until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and pierce each profiterole once with a wooden pick. Turn off oven and return profiteroles to oven, letting them stand in residual heat 5 minutes more. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Horizontally cut off top third of each profiterole with a serrated knife and discard tops. Force boiled egg through a medium-mesh sieve into a small bowl and stir in parsley. Spoon a rounded 1/4 teaspoon caviar into each profiterole and sprinkle with a bit of egg mixture.

BAKLAZHANNAIA IKRA (POOR MAN'S CAVIAR)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the eggplant on a baking sheet in the center of the oven, turning it over once or twice, until it is soft and its skin is charred and blistered, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook the onions in 4 tablespoons oil over medium heat until they are soft but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer. With a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the skillet into a mixing bowl.
• Remove the skin from the baked eggplant with a small, sharp knife, then chop the eggplant pulp finely, almost to a pure. Add it to the mixing bowl and stir in the tomatoes, sugar, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Mix together thoroughly. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet over moderate heat and pour in the eggplant mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then turn the heat to low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Uncover and cook 30 minutes, stirring from time to time, until all the moisture in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to hold its shape in a spoon. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and taste for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Transfer the “caviar" to a mixing bowl and chill, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. Serve on squares of bread or on sesame-seed crackers.

CAVIAR AND CHEESE BALL (ZAKUSKA IZ TVOROGA I IKRI)

Steps:

• Process the cheeses in a food processor until smooth.
• Transfer the cheese mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
• Form the cheese into a ball. Place on a serving platter with a rim. Coat the cheese with sour cream, then gently press the caviar into the surface, taking care not to break the eggs.