By Beleaev Family | International Caviar & Gourmet, Head Office London | beleaev.com
New Year's Eve is the night where home cooking has to compete with restaurants. Most people stay in. The few who go out pay £150-250 a head for a tasting menu they could have made themselves with better ingredients and far less stress.
This four-course caviar menu solves that. Course 1 is a tasting plate of three caviars served Russian-style. Course 2 is champagne risotto with caviar topping. Course 3 is roasted lobster with caviar beurre blanc. Course 4 is a chocolate pot dessert that requires no last-minute work.
Total prep time is around 4 hours spread over two days. Cooking on the night itself is around 90 minutes, with most of it happening in the hour before midnight. Done properly, this menu beats any restaurant in London for around £75-90 per person all-in.
Key Takeaways
- Plan 60g of caviar per person across the four courses
- Serve Course 1 (caviar tasting) before guests sit down, with champagne
- Course 2 (risotto) can be par-cooked, finished in 6 minutes
- Course 3 (lobster) takes 15 minutes from oven to plate, plan timing carefully
- Course 4 (chocolate pots) made the day before, served from the fridge
The Menu
Course 1: Caviar Tasting Trio (Beluga, Oscietra, Kaluga) with traditional accompaniments
Course 2: Champagne Risotto with Caviar
Course 3: Roasted Lobster with Caviar Beurre Blanc
Course 4: Dark Chocolate Pots with Sea Salt
Total caviar across the meal: 360g for 6 guests (60g per person)
- 180g across the tasting trio (60g each of Beluga, Oscietra, Kaluga)
- 90g for the risotto course (15g per guest)
- 90g for the lobster course (15g per guest)
Course 1: Caviar Tasting Trio
Serves 6, served at the start of the evening with champagne
Ingredients
For the caviar:
- 60g Beluga XXL Special Reserve
- 60g Royal Oscietra
- 60g Royal Imperial
- Crushed ice for serving
- 6 mother-of-pearl spoons
For accompaniments:
- 6 hard-boiled eggs (whites and yolks separated, finely chopped)
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 200ml full-fat sour cream
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 30 small blinis (warm)
- 18 small toast points (warm)
- Fresh dill and chives
Method
1. Set the three caviar tins on a large bed of crushed ice in a wooden serving board
2. Arrange small ramekins of accompaniments around the caviar
3. Stack the warm blinis and toast points
4. Hand each guest a mother-of-pearl spoon and let them assemble
5. Serve with champagne in flutes
For full assembly details, see our classic caviar platter recipe.
Course 2: Champagne Risotto with Caviar
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 480g Carnaroli rice
- 1 small white onion, finely diced
- 60g unsalted butter (30g for cooking, 30g for finishing)
- 300ml dry champagne (Brut)
- 1.8 litres hot light chicken stock
- 90g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
- 90g caviar (Oscietra)
- 1 tbsp finely sliced chives
- Sea salt and white pepper
Method
1. Sweat the onion in 30g of butter
2. Toast the rice for 90 seconds
3. Add the champagne, stir until absorbed
4. Add hot stock ladle by ladle, stirring constantly, for 17 minutes
5. Take off the heat, mantecare with cold butter and parmesan
6. Plate, top each portion with 15g of caviar and chives
For full risotto technique, see our champagne risotto with caviar recipe. Par-cook 12 minutes ahead, finish to order.
Course 3: Roasted Lobster with Caviar Beurre Blanc
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 6 native lobsters (around 500-600g each), live and humanely dispatched
- 60g unsalted butter, melted (for brushing)
- 240ml dry white wine
- 90ml white wine vinegar
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 450g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 90g caviar (Oscietra recommended)
- 1 lemon, halved
- Chives and micro-herbs
Method
1. Roast the lobsters at 220C for 12 minutes, brushed with melted butter
2. Make the beurre blanc by reducing wine, vinegar, and shallots, then whisking in cold butter cube by cube
3. Plate each lobster half, spoon beurre blanc generously over the meat
4. Top each with 15g of caviar and a scatter of chives
5. Serve immediately with lobster crackers
For full method, see our roasted lobster with caviar beurre blanc recipe.
Course 4: Dark Chocolate Pots with Sea Salt
Serves 6, made the day before
Ingredients
- 250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
- 300ml double cream
- 100ml whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- 30g caster sugar
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
- Maldon sea salt flakes for finishing
- Cocoa nibs for garnish
Method
1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale
2. Heat the cream and milk just to a simmer, then pour slowly onto the yolks while whisking
3. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook gently, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon
4. Pour through a sieve onto the chopped chocolate, stir until melted and smooth
5. Add the small pinch of fine salt
6. Pour into 6 small ramekins or glass tumblers
7. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight
8. Before serving, top each with a few flakes of Maldon salt and a small scattering of cocoa nibs
This is the only course not topped with caviar. After 60g of caviar across the first three courses, dessert deserves a different flavour profile.
Production Timeline
Two days before:
- Buy all ingredients
- Make chocolate pots, refrigerate
- Make blinis, freeze in stacks
One day before:
- Boil and prep the eggs for Course 1
- Slice cucumber, prep accompaniments for Course 1
- Make toast points, store in airtight container
- Pre-cook the risotto base (Course 2) to 12 minutes, spread on tray to cool, refrigerate
Day of, afternoon:
- Take chocolate pots out of fridge for 30 minutes before serving (texture is best slightly under fridge cold)
- Take blinis out to defrost
- Prepare lobster (have fishmonger split if not yet done)
- Pre-portion all caviar amounts in small bowls
6:30 PM (drinks before dinner):
- Open champagne
- Open caviar tins, set on ice
- Serve Course 1 with vodka shots and champagne
8:00 PM (sit down to dinner):
- Reheat risotto with hot stock, finish with butter and parmesan, plate, top with caviar
- Serve Course 2 in shallow warm bowls
8:30 PM:
- Roast the lobsters
- Make the beurre blanc while lobsters roast
- Plate, top with caviar
- Serve Course 3
9:30 PM:
- Plate the chocolate pots
- Serve Course 4 with espresso
11:30 PM onwards: Champagne refills, photographs, count down to midnight
Tips for Getting It Right
Time the lobster roasting carefully. The lobsters need exactly 12 minutes in a 220C oven. Plan for them to come out 5 minutes before serving Course 3, with the beurre blanc finishing in parallel. Late lobster ruins the meal pacing.
Don't overdo the caviar in any single course. 15g per portion in courses 2 and 3 is the proper restaurant amount. More than that and the caviar starts to dominate at the expense of the other components.
Use three different caviars across the meal. Course 1 has all three (tasting). Courses 2 and 3 use Oscietra (the workhorse). This pacing means guests experience the full range of caviar character without overwhelming any single course.
Champagne pairing throughout. The same champagne (a non-vintage Brut) carries you through Courses 1, 2, and 3. For Course 4, switch to a single small glass of port or pedro ximénez sherry, but only after the chocolate pots have been served.
Don't try to do the dishes during the meal. The kitchen will look like a disaster zone. That's normal. Worry about it on January 1st.
Variations and Pairings
Beluga-only menu: Replace all Oscietra in courses 2 and 3 with Beluga. The total caviar cost roughly doubles but the impact for a once-a-year meal can be justified.
Without lobster: Replace Course 3 with pan-seared scallops with caviar (3 scallops per person). Less expensive, faster to cook, equally elegant.
Vegetarian Course 2 alternative: Use a wild mushroom risotto base instead of champagne risotto, topped with caviar. The earthiness of the mushrooms pairs beautifully with caviar's salinity.
Without dessert caviar: The chocolate pot in Course 4 deliberately has no caviar. After 45-60g per guest in Courses 1-3, palates appreciate the change of register.
For more occasion-specific menus, see our Christmas caviar canapé menu and our Valentine's Day caviar dinner recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much caviar do I need for a New Year's Eve dinner for 6?
360g across the menu (60g per guest) is the recommended quantity. This breaks down as 180g across the Course 1 tasting trio (60g each of Beluga, Oscietra, Kaluga), 90g for the risotto course (15g per guest), and 90g for the lobster course (15g per guest). Course 4 has no caviar.
Can I do the whole menu in advance?
Many components yes, but final cooking is the night-of. The chocolate pots, the blinis, and the prep work all happen 1-2 days ahead. The risotto can be par-cooked. But the lobster is roasted to order, the beurre blanc is finished to order, and the caviar tins open only at the table. Plan around 90 minutes of active cooking on the night.
What's the right wine pairing for a multi-course caviar dinner?
Champagne throughout the savoury courses (Courses 1-3). A non-vintage Brut for the canapé hour, a Blanc de Blancs for the risotto, and a vintage cuvée for the lobster if budget allows. For Course 4 (chocolate), a small glass of vintage port or 30-year-old Madeira.
Can I make this menu for 4 or 8 instead of 6?
Yes. Scale all quantities proportionally. For 4 guests, multiply by 0.67 (so 240g of caviar). For 8 guests, multiply by 1.33 (so 480g of caviar). Cooking times remain the same except for the lobster (8 lobsters won't fit in one tin, so use two trays in the same oven on different shelves).
Further Reading
- The history of New Year's Eve caviar service in Russia (Smithsonian Magazine)
- How to host a tasting menu at home (Financial Times)
A proper New Year's Eve dinner with caviar is one of those things that defines a year. The shared trio of caviars to start, the silky champagne risotto, the roasted lobster with bright caviar pearls, the dark chocolate pots at the end. Done properly, it's the kind of evening guests remember years later.
Discover Beleaev's caviar collection, the heart of any New Year's Eve celebration, at beleaev.com.
Beleaev is an international caviar and gourmet house headquartered in London, with fulfilment hubs across the UK, Europe, the UAE, and the United States. We deliver responsibly farmed Beluga, Oscietra, Sevruga, and Kaluga caviar to customers in each region within 24 to 48 hours.
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