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CAVIAR CANAPÉS

To serve caviar as canapés: Arrange a bowl of the roe surrounded by small bowls of chopped onions, chopped egg – whites and yolks separate; quarters of lemon, and sour cream. Have plenty of hot toast fingers, and let the guests spread their own canapés. Or arrange fingers of toast topped with caviar on a platter along with small dishes of the condiments, and pass the platter. Be certain the canapés are fresh. There is no dish less interesting than tired flabby dabs of food on cold, dank toast.

BLINIS WITH CAVIAR

This is one of the most popular hot hors d’oeuvres in Europe. It should be made with the true caviar and served with sour cream. Often, however, you will find it served with the red caviar or herring.

1 package yeast

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter

3 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cream, whipped

3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Add the sugar. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of lukewarm milk and the flour. Make a paste of this, cover, and put in a warm place to rise until it is doubled in bulk.

Cream together the butter, egg yolks, and salt. Combine this with the sponge when it is risen, and beat thoroughly. Let it rise again for 1 hour. Finally add the whipped cream and the egg whites and let rise again for 15 minutes. Bake into small pancakes about 3 inches in diameter in a buttered pan or griddle.

Serve the cakes very hot with melted butter, caviar, and sour cream. From 3 to 6 pancakes will make a serving.

CAVIAR OMELET

This is sheer luxury, but exceedingly delicious luxury. Prepare an omelet in your usual fashion. Fold in about 2 tablespoons of chilled caviar and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

TO SERVE RED CAVIAR

Red caviar, or salmon roe, is not so delicate as the caviar of the sturgeon, but it is excellent in appetizers. It may be used for canapés with chopped onion, sour cream, and chopped egg. Or make this dip of red caviar:

RED CAVIAR DIP

1 pint sour cream

1/4 cup cream or milk

11/2 cups red caviar

1 small onion, grated

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Chopped hard-cooked egg

Dilute the sour cream with cream or milk. Add the caviar, onion, pepper, and lemon juice. Heap in a bowl and sprinkle the top with the hard-cooked egg. Serve with raw vegetables, toast, or bread sticks.

RED CAVIAR CHEESE

Cream 1/2 pound cream cheese. When it is light and fluffy, add 1/2 cup red caviar, 1 tablespoon grated onion, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Season to taste with lemon juice and beat thoroughly with a fork. Serve with crackers or toast.

CAVIAR EGGS

This is a delightful hors d’oeuvre. For 6 servings:

6 hard-cooked eggs

6 tablespoons caviar (red or black)

1 tablespoon chopped chives or green onion

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 tablespoon mayonnaise or sour cream

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Shell the eggs, cut them in halves, and remove the yolks. Mash these well and combine with the remaining ingredients. When it is thoroughly whipped together, heap it into the whites with a spoon, or pipe it in, using the rosette end of a pastry tube.

For a first course, serve 2 halves per person. Arrange them on greens and pass a Russian dressing. Or double the recipe and serve it as a salad course with watercress, Russian dressing, and crisp French bread.

Surf Perch and Sea Perch

Sometimes called striped or blue perch, the surf perch is a small Pacific fish. I like it cooked simply and served with a good sauce, such as an olive sauce or a sweet-sour sauce.

The sea perch of the Atlantic is sometimes sold as frozen fillets, which can be cooked according to the recipes for ocean perch (pages 154–159). New England anglers, fishing off the rocks, often catch sea perch. It is a very bony fish to cook whole; however, it may be prepared in the same ways as the Pacific surf perch.

BROILED SURF PERCH

Broil the fish whole, following