Caviar Tartlets

Recipe by: Anya von Bremzen, John Welchman | from Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook

Cookstr

Course: Hors D'oeuvre, Tapas/Small Plates

Total Time: Under 1 Hour

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Splurge

Photo by: Joseph De Leo

These precious little puff pastry tartlets, filled with two or three kinds of caviar, will make an hors d’oeuvre fit for a Czar. The crème fraîche is actually optional. A true Russian will insist on pure caviar, of course. The decision is yours.

Yield: Makes 24 tartlets

INGREDIENTS

All-purpose flour for rolling out the pastry
1 sheet commercial puff pastry, preferably Pepperidge Farm
¼ to 1/3 cup Creme Fraiche
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
3 to 4 ounces assorted (black, salmon, and golden) caviars
Tiny dill sprigs for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry with a floured rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter or a drinking glass to cut out 24 circles from the pastry. You may have to gather up the scraps and roll out the pastry again.

3. Press each circle into a cup of a small-cup (1½-inch size) muffin tin. Prick the bottoms of the tartlet shells with a fork, line each with aluminum foil, and fill with dried beans, pie weights, or rice. Bake until the edges are golden and the shells are baked through, about 15 minutes. (If they are not baked properly, remove the foil and pie weights, and bake for 5 minutes more. Cool completely and remove from the tins.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the crème fraîche, lemon juice, and dill. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of the crème fraîche mixture into each tartlet. Top with some caviar and garnish with a dill sprig.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information is based on a serving size of 1 tartlet.

Calories 75kcal (4%)

Calcium 15mg (2%)

Vitamin C 0mg (0%)

Vitamin A 16mcg RAE (1%)

Potassium 19mg

Magnesium 14mg

Protein 2g

Sugar 0g

Fiber 0g