With the holidays approaching, and the catering industry closed in these days, the success of your party depends on a caterer or your own abilities. And not everyone is a hero in the kitchen. But with a luxury product like caviar, the famous sturgeon eggs, you can easily conjure up a wondrous dish.

The unique thing about caviar is that it does not need any complicated preparation. Even in the simplest combinations, with basic ingredients, the product is at its best. Therefore I would like to share some caviar facts and recipes with you.

Caviar consists of the unfertilised eggs of the sturgeon. The name "caviar" originates from the Persian خاگآور(Khag-avar). The first caviar eaters were the Persians (Iranians) who believed that caviar would improve their stamina and potency.

Depending on the type of sturgeon whose eggs are, one distinguishes between:

  • caviar of sturgeon
    • beluga caviar (silvery to black colour and shown here on the right)
    • asetrak caviar (black to greenish grey)
    • sevruga caviar (dark grey)
    • caluga caviar (Siberian huso) from the Siberian River Amur.
  • imitation caviar (not from sturgeon and cannot in principle bear the name "caviar")
    • Lumpfish caviar (red or black; colour obtained by natural colouring)
    • Alaska wild salmon caviar (red in colour)
    • Trout caviar (orange in colour)

Below you can find some recipes, because the classic blinis with caviar are just a snack!

First of all, the 'Pomme Moscovite'. Once the favourite of the Russian Tsars, hence the name.

INGREDIENTS for 4 people:

  • 500 grams small potatoes
  • 1 small box of caviar
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tbsp chopped chives
  • Possibly a few drops of lemon juice
  • Pepper

PREPARED:

Put the potatoes, unpeeled, with some olive oil in an oven dish. Put this dish in a preheated oven at 220°C, so that the potatoes 'pop'. Take them out and let them cool down a little. Cut off the top of the potatoes and hollow them out with a small spoon.

With what you take out of the potatoes we make the filling: Mix it with the sour cream, the chives, a few drops of lemon juice and season with some pepper.
Fill the potatoes back up and finish with a spoonful of caviar.
There you go, the simple earthy tuber has had a more than decent upgrade, and is now, quite rightly, an imperial appetiser.

If you prefer a main course, I think of a pasta, which can be made into something very special by using caviar.

Pasta with smoked salmon and caviar:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 450 gr fresh Linguini or Fettuccini
  • 250 ml cream
  • 120 to 200 g smoked salmon
  • A pinch of nutmeg
  • A pinch of black pepper. Or to taste.
  • Your pot of caviar, of course!

PREPARATION:

  • Cook the pasta in 3 to 4 minutes until al dente.
  • In another pan, heat the cream, with nutmeg and black pepper.
  • Add the salmon in strips.
  • Drain the pasta, mix with the sauce and finish with a few spoonfuls of caviar!
  • Buon appetito!

Another favourite of mine is the combination with meat. Prepare a classic 'Steak Tartare'and finish off with caviar. Can it get any simpler?
But caviar can also provide a taste sensation at the table for breakfast. How about a divine scrambled egg?
Top your scrambled eggs with some cream, fill the egg shell with it again and finish off with some caviar.
And whether you are going to use real or imitation caviar,.... Let it taste good!

Please note:

  • Keep the caviar absolutely cold until the moment of serving.
  • Use a mother-of-pearl spoon, or a plastic one, until serving. Metals will oxidise if they come into contact with the caviar, and negatively affect the taste.

Raphaël van den Poel, former fashion consultant of Scapa, Reinhard Frans and Atelier NA tailored suits,
writes our weekly blog on gentleman matters. He writes for MYX Magazine, a Flemish luxury lifestyle platform.
He also has his own blog which you can read here:
http://belgiandandy.blogspot.com

Raphaël van den Poel
The Belgian Dandy

 

 

 

We all know the so-called pinstripes and the pinstripe! The exceptional cliché look of Wall Street investment bankers, mafiosi in films and of course The Great Gatsby. But also the classic suit of your father or grandfather, or you have one yourself. There is a difference, however, important or not, but 'details matter'. I would be happy to explain the subtle difference between the pinstripe and the pinstripe.

The classic striped suit is generally regarded as the business suit par excellence. It is recognised as the outfit of the power-dresser, especially in the double breasted version. It is therefore the quickest and easiest way to look top-notch right away.

Stripes come in all shapes, sizes and colours. The thickness, however, is what determines the name and we will discuss that here.

PINSTRIPES

Probably the most common and well-known is the pinstripe. This is a single thin stripe that gives the impression of a small short needle stitch. A single twisted thread is used to create the stripe. The distance between the stripes can vary.

The pinstripe is a fine stripe, but very pronounced. According to Alan Flusser in his well-known book 'Dressing the Man', pinstripes are "fine stripes in the width of a needle resluting in the use of white, grey or other colour, or other yarns, in a twisted sequence of worsted..."
And Hardy Amies writes in his lexicon 'ABC of Men's Fashion' that pinstripes are actually "a series of dots". Both are excellent descriptions, but they do not contradict each other.

So pinstripes are often woven into the cloth separately from the background weave on a Dobby loom, contrary to a simple part of the background weave.
It's added to the cloth in on top of the base colour. So the pinstripe is more defined and keeps it from blurring into the cloth. A nice variation on the pinstripe is the bead stripe, also called a beaded pinstripe or a rain pinstripe, which looks like a line of tiny beads spaced apart'.

References to the 'pinstripe' can be found in Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales', where the 'Sergeant at the Law' is described as wearing
"a homely parti-coloured coat girt with a silken belt of pin-stripe stuff". Pinstripes have been found in men's clothing since bein of the 19th century.
They were used by the London banks to identify their employees. Each bank had its stripes, and the space between the stripes indicated their rank or function. Originally, only the trousers were striped, but when the custom was adopted in America in the 20th century, they were also used in the jackets. And so the pinstripe suit was born!

CRIME TRIPS

A pinstripe is traditionally woven from about 2 to 5 threads wide and therefore resembles the stripe that a tailor puts on the fabric with his tailor's chalk. Hence the name. Pinstripes are mixed in with the other yarns, which makes the effect less distinctive.
It all looks a bit more vague than the pronounced pinstripe. Hardy Amies describes the difference as "'pin' stripes ... look very 'set' when compared to 'chalk' stripes, the outlines of which are blurred and thus blend with the background." And this is suddenly the best description.

The pinstripe is wrongly attributed the reputation of corporate conformity. It is true that it is synonymous with the bankers and other liberal professions such as notaries, lawyers, etc., but its roots run deeper as the uniformity found among the middle classes in the late 18the and beginning 19the century.

Named for its soft look, the pinstripe was adopted by modern white-collar workers working in the cities from around 1910 onwards and thus became the uniform of the big heavy business. Originally, it was even only allowed in British and American companies to have the stripe wider than 1 inch, for senior management. Later it was adopted by the Mafia to make it clear that they were above the ordinary mortal.

 

 

HOW DO WE WEAR THESE STRIPES?

A pinstripe or pinstripe suit can and will certainly spice up your wardrobe.

  • If you're going for the traditional British look, opt for the darkest variety you can find: A deep ink blue, a 'grey as coal', and combine it with a plain white shirt, and a bright tie to create contrast. In any case, it will make a powerful statement.
  • The version with centre button, 2 buttons, is modern, but if you want to go for the cutting edge of tradition, choose a double breasted suit.
  • If you prefer it more relaxed, go for the less pronounced pinstripe.
  • As a general rule, we can say that these stripes are only worn as a costume. But casual is becoming more and more acceptable.
  • Be especially careful with stripes in the tie or shirt. You don't want to become a signboard for all the possible stripes on the market. And if the stripes have the same width, it will all go wrong. But that goes without saying.
  • With a pinstripe, you always wear a tie.
  • The most classic look is in a snow-white shirt and dark or bright tie. Then you are on the safe side anyway.
  • Leave patterned shirts for what they are. They certainly don't belong on a striped suit!
  • Keep it simple with accessories. Pochette or tie pin? Certainly not both at the same time!
  • But who am I? And aren't rules there to be challenged?

Raphaël van den Poel, former fashion consultant of Scapa, Reinhard Frans and Atelier NA tailored suits,
writes our weekly blog on gentleman matters. He writes for MYX Magazine, a Flemish luxury lifestyle platform.
He also has his own blog which you can read here:
http://belgiandandy.blogspot.com

Raphaël van den Poel
The Belgian Dandy