Caviar: the processed, salted non-fertilized roe of the sturgeon fish. This below is the beluga variety, which comes from sturgeon fish that swim in the Caspian Sea bordering Iran. (It was procured in Paris, France, through undisclosed sources by my grandmother.)
What should you use? Not this wild-caught stuff below! Sturgeon is at risk of just disappearing entirely. That is bad, bad, bad! The answer, according to the nation's sustainable seafood champion, is US-farmed caviar. You can find excellent quality stuff at your doorstep or just a courier package away. Here are few reliable sources:
As Fergus Henderson puts it, marrow is "the inside of the leg bones of a veal". And it's one of those foods (like sea urchin) that are so full of flavor, that it deserves minimal treatment. It's excellent every single time.
These marrow bones are from Dickson's Farm Stand Meats in the Chelsea Market.
These are cut widthwise, but I think we prefer it when the bones are cut lengthwise. The marrow is easier to get at.
Homemade bacon is easy, but it requires space and time. The basic idea is to bury the belly in a combination of salt, sugar, and spices, and to leave it that way for four days or up to a week. After that, you rinse, let it dry out, and throw it in the smoker for as long as you want. This is the recipe that on the Judges' Award at the Brooklyn Bacon Takedown in Williamsburg.
photos by Picl
Dickson's Farm Stand Meats, nestled inside the vaults of New York's Chelsea Market, is a place of many wonders, and just one of the many delights they carry is the rolled and tied lamb belly.
