Luxurious caviar recipes for the holidays

In the days leading up to Christmas, I want to do as little as possible. Not only am I conserving my energy for the big day, but also capitalizing on a pause in my typically busy schedule and am always eager to maximize my leisure time.

And what could be more leisurely than snacking on caviar during the holiday break?

The delicacy once reserved for the rich is more accessible than ever, with long-standing European brands now competing with newcomers that harvest sturgeon eggs right here in California.

For local restaurants, caviar can add a dose of opulence to their menus, with plenty offering full caviar service in addition to dishes topped with the shiny jewel-like delicacy, such as a lobster roll at Found Oyster and fried chicken at Anajak Thai.

I can’t resist a spoonful of the gleaming pearls when I see “caviar bumps” on a restaurant menu. I love the pop of creamy brininess that the sturgeon eggs provide when eaten on their own or paired with everything from French fries to Champagne and spreads with blini, crème fraîche, dill and dried egg yolk.

And so, as I prepare to make the most of my time off with cheesy holiday movie marathons, I’ll be whipping up any of these simple sides to pair with spoonfuls of caviar, including several types of blini, a sunchoke and leek panna cotta, deviled eggs and scallop ceviche.

Many of the recipes below are from chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Napa Valley, in addition to Per Se in New York and other fine-dining institutions. Caviar plays a starring role in Oysters and Pearls, one of Keller’s signature dishes, featuring oyster bellies and an island of caviar floating in a buttery tapioca custard.

If bonafide caviar isn’t in the budget, you can create a similar flavor profile by using salmon, trout or tobiko roe or other fish eggs instead.

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Lemon Herb Blini With Dill Cream and Smoked Salmon

This recipe takes all of the flavors from a traditional caviar spread and fuses them together. The blini feature lemon zest and herbs such as parsley, chives and thyme, and the dill cream blends crème fraîche, lemon juice, shallots and dill. Blini are meant to be eaten warm, so begin composing your caviar bites as soon as they’re ready.
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Cook time: 50 minutes. Makes about 10 blini.

Yukon Gold Potato Blini

These potato blini based on a recipe from Thomas Keller are fluffy and light, encouraging you to go all out with the accoutrements. Make them on a griddle as you would with a regular buttermilk pancake, but use a spatula with a thin lip so the tiny discs stay in tact as you turn them over.
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Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen small blini.

Buckwheat Blini

For a nuttier profile, try making buckwheat blini, which former L.A. Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila encourages you to experiment with. Instead of the standard toppings, try adorning these mini pancakes with kimchi and fried eggs, salmon tartare or sauteed wild mushrooms. Just avoid meats such as duck breast or anything that’s going to make the delicate blini difficult to eat.
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Cook time: 40 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen blini.

Sunchoke and Leek Panna Cotta

This savory panna cotta recipe from Thomas Keller is rich and nutty, yet subtle enough to let the flavors of the caviar shine through. Keller also advises on how to shop for caviar and which varieties pair well with different dishes. Prepare the sunchoke panna cotta in advance and finish it whenever you’re ready for your next caviar treat.
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Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 4.

Deviled Eggs With California White Sturgeon Caviar

Make this recipe for yourself or as an easy yet impressive appetizer for a holiday party. It requires only a few ingredients, but adding a quenelle of caviar to each bite transforms the deviled eggs from a typical party favor into a luxe bite. Feel free to substitute California white sturgeon with your preferred caviar.
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Cook time: 40 minutes. Makes 12 deviled eggs.

Scallop Ceviche With Caviar

Former L.A. Times Food writer Regina Schrambling recommends whipping up this scallop ceviche with caviar on Christmas Eve as a nod to Réveillon de Noël, a French celebration that involves a multicourse feast the night before Christmas, often featuring caviar, foie gras, turkey or goose, and concluding with as many as 13 desserts. If you’re interested in participating in the tradition, Schrambling offers a 10-minute recipe for scallop ceviche that’s served simply with avocado and seeded serrano chiles.
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Cook time: 10 minutes. Serves 4.