Foodie Chap With Petra & Saskia Bergstein of The Caviar Company
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Meet Petra & Saskia Bergstein the sisters behind The Caviar Company, curated purveyors of the finest sustainable caviar currently available. The sisters bring unparalleled passion and service to the caviar industry distributing to restaurants, personal chef's private events and direct to consumers.
Based in San Francisco, the national company provides caviar to restaurants in San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Miami, and New York. With the sister's combined caviar knowledge and experience working with the pioneers in the industry, they deem it their duty to conduct business with absolute transparency, great care for the sturgeon species and undeniable reliability.
Their passion for caviar is infectious. We met at Flavor Napa Valley earlier this year and two caviar bumps later I was hooked. They say the best way to enjoy caviar is served from a spoon to your hand, top side above your thumb - "a caviar bump"!
Caviar can be pricey yet affordable too: from $6 an ounce and up. When The Caviar Company hosts a party it comes with passion, dedication and reverence to the product.
We reunited recently for our Foodie Chap chat at "Piperade" on Battery Street. Chef Gerald served Champagne to accompany our caviar. Petra and Saskia took me on a Caviar trip around the world during our interview and tasting. They also shared a simple way to enjoy caviar at your party or gathering over the holidays: - on a small cooked potato with creme fràiche.
Enjoy the conversation and as Robin Leach often says: "Champagne wishes and Caviar dreams".
Cheers, Liam!
Baby Potatoes w/ Caviar & Crème Fraiche
1 hour, 2 minutes | prep time: 3 minutes | cook time: 59 minutes
Ingredients:
- Baby Red Skin Potatoes — 8
- Fresh Chives — 2 Teaspoons
- Caviar — 3⁄4 Ounce
- Creme Fraiche — 1⁄3 Cup
- Black Pepper
- Kosher Salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil — 1⁄2 Tablespoon
Equipment:
- Resealable Food Storage Bag
- Oven
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Bowl, Medium
- Sheet Pan
Prep Steps:
- Cut potatoes in half crosswise, then skim a very thin sliver off the bottom of each half. This will balance it out so it can stand upright. Place in medium mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Lightly grease a sheet pan with olive oil.
- Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, then arrange the potatoes on the prepared sheet pan, standing upright on the flat bottoms you created.
- Place potatoes in preheated oven and roast until centers are tender, about [20-30 minutes]. You want them to be firm enough to maintain their shape but tender enough to be edible. Test by piercing with a fork. Let the potatoes cool slightly after removing from oven.
- Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, use a small measuring spoon to gently scoop a small hole out of the center of each potato. You are forming a cup. Leave enough of an edge around the hole to keep the shape, and do not pierce through skin or bottom.
- Transfer potatoes to a plastic container or small platter and place in refrigerator to cool for [10 minutes].
- Scoop crème fraiche into a plastic baggie so it settles in one corner. Snip off the corner, then squeeze the crème fraiche into the center of each cooled potato. Top off with a small dollop of caviar. If desired, snip or chop some chives and sprinkle these over the top for color.
- Arrange the baby potatoes with caviar and crème fraiche neatly on a serving platter. Ready to eat!
For more information on The Caviar Company, visit: thecaviarco.com
