When Polina Steier was a little girl in Europe, she tasted her first caviar – and was smitten. “I became totally hooked. Even as a kid I really enjoyed fine food, and I knew caviar would be in my life on all special occasions,” she told me in a phone interview.
That avocation soon became Steier’s vocation – because she eventually worked for Tsar Nicoulai Caviar in San Francisco, where she headed up marketing and business development. Then, 16 years ago, she founded the luxury magazine Caviar Affair, dedicated to all things sturgeon.
Now she’s at it again, with a terrific new product featuring dehydrated caviar – Caviar Gems. “I found the ‘white space’ to make caviar more versatile,” she says. “The dehydrated caviar needs no refrigeration. That’s the beauty of it, as it makes caviar super-versatile. You cannot do with fresh caviar what you can do with dehydrated.”
Caviar Gems have become the darling of restaurants and mixologists, who use it in their cuisine – and in their cocktails.
“We dehydrated the fresh caviar in a multistep process,” she added. “The research and development took a couple of years to perfect.” She is now applying for a patent for what she sees as a unique product.
“Caviar Gems is a modern and elevated caviar created to challenge expectations and reinvigorate the way people taste, experience and use caviar. We are making extraordinary caviar accessible and supremely versatile….It’s caviar, reimagined.”
The caviar used in Caviar Gems is 100% premium osetra, “And it is humanely harvested on small farms in the USA. It also comes from the Galilee region in northern Israel, where it is ethically harvested for us. We have relationships with major sturgeon farmers around the world.”
Experts – and everyday folks at home – are using Caviar Gems in a wide variety of ways. “It is super with vodka, gin, mezcal and tequila,” Steier said, and its buttery umami flavor is a great complement to your oatmeal and cereal,” she adds. Indeed, she describes its flavor as “nutty, salty and briny with hints of olive and nori (seaweed). Confectioners and pastry chefs put it in their cupcakes, and it is also used by chocolatiers,” she said. “You just can’t do this with fresh caviar.” She noted that the dehydrated caviar has the consistency of a fried caper or peppercorn.
Steier described caviar as “the world’s best pescatarian protein,” with only 30 calories in one ounce. “It has amazing nutrients and minerals…I try to eat it every day.”
Pack Caviar Gems for your next picnic, she recommended. “Or sprinkle it on sashimi or sushi, as it elevates already fine food.”
Caviar Gems are packaged in museum-quality transparent glass jars, with a hint of Art Deco, that were created specifically for the company. The product costs $87.50 for a half-ounce jar and double for one ounce. “And because Caviar Gems are half the weight of fresh caviar, you get twice the amount for the same price.”
Coming soon to a gourmet store near you is Steier’s caviar honey. “It’s the world’s first caviar glaze, for salad, and it’s amazing for cheese, salmon and scallops.”
The possibilities are endless.
For more, visit caviargems.com. And follow me on Instagram @DebbiKickham. – Debbi K. Kickham.
