Potato Chip, Meet Caviar. Miss B, Meet your Favorite Hors D'oeuvre

So, I was watching Andrew Zimmern, that delightfully unpretentious chef (those are rare these days!) who travels the world sampling local delicacies. The show is called Bizarre Foods and many dishes are included for their gross out factor- worms and slugs are common. But he tastes more rareified items too, and listening to him describe the food in great detail and rapture is my favorite part.

In this particular episode, he was visiting St. Petersburg and sampled all sorts of incredible pickled goods from a local market, an astonishing assortment of borscht that ranged in color from raspberry pink to garnet red, and finally, the main event- beluga caviar in The Grand Hotel's world famous Caviar bar.

It made me want to book a trip to Russia immediately. Until we can squirrel away the cash for that, I decided to sample caviar for the first time right here at home. I've got a little three ring binder stuffed with fun party ideas ripped from the pages of magazines, and this recipe immediately sprang to mind.

I'd saved it because it is an irresistible mix of high and low. The humble potato chip meets caviar. This recipe came from In Style Magazine (Do they still have that wonderful party sectioneach month?) and couldn't be simpler. Sea Salt and Pepper Kettle Potato Chips topped with a dollop of sour cream and a beautiful pile of caviar, glittering like tiny black pearls. The juxtaposition of creamy and crunchy, salty and cool, plus that wonderful little explosion of the sea was really exquisite.

Eric and I enjoyed ours after he arrived home from work with a glass of champagne. It was undoubtedly the most glamourous after school snack the world has ever known.Have you tried anything new lately? Do tell!