Caviar adds a wonderful touch of sophistication and elegance to your special occasions. Traditionally, caviar is derived from three types of sturgeon: Beluga, Osetra, and Sevruga. Because overfishing is threatening the sturgeon population in most of the world, the best choice is American farmed caviar. Here, you'll find recipes that let you savor caviar's delicate texture and distinctive briny flavor on blini, toast, potatoes, scrambled eggs, pasta, and oysters.

These bite-size blini -- Russian pancakes made with yeast -- are traditionally accompanied by caviar. Garnish each one with a tiny dollop of creme fraiche and your choice of salmon or trout roe.

Cream-enriched scrambled eggs topped with creme fraiche and salmon roe or sevruga caviar are an elegant way to start a special brunch. If you don't have an egg topper -- the special tool used to cut the eggshells -- you can also serve this in small crystal goblets.

Freshly shucked oysters luxuriate in a broth of cream and half-and-half enriched with oyster liquor and mascarpone cheese. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of caviar or salmon roe.

The simplicity of angel hair pasta with butter and lemon zest creates the perfect background to showcase the flavor of good-quality black caviar. This recipe comes from Ina Garten.

Layers of buttered phyllo dough make light, crisp containers for mushroom-shallot filling. Top each purse with a spoonful of osetra caviar just before serving.

The filling of these bite-size twice-baked potatoes gets a rich, tangy flavor from creme fraiche. Top each potato with a small amount of caviar and a sprinkle of chives.

What looks like a beautiful iced cake is actually a savory multilayered sandwich of pumpernickel bread, cream cheese, cucumbers, and smoked salmon. Decorate the top of this elegant appetizer with rosy salmon roe and black caviar for a dramatic finishing touch.

Enjoy two varieties of dainty eggs -- fish and fowl -- in these canapes. Use American black or choupique caviar, which comes from Louisiana's bowfin fish.

A light beer batter holds together the grated potatoes and onion to make these crowd-pleasing latkes, or potato pancakes traditionally served for the Jewish festival of Hanukkah. Serve them with caviar for the adults and applesauce for the kids.

Use a small cookie cutter to make bite-size rounds of buttery brioche, which are toasted and served with creme fraiche and caviar. The toast rounds can be made up to two days ahead of time.

Freshly shucked oysters are poached in cream with pureed spinach and anise-scented Pernod liqueur, then topped with beluga or sevruga caviar. This recipe appears in the cookbook "From Emeril's Kitchens."

Mix together sour cream, creme fraiche, chives, and paddlefish caviar to make this creamy dip. Make your own root-vegetable chips to accompany the dip, or use store-bought ones.

Fresh or frozen corn kernels, plus cornmeal and masa harina, give these miniature pancakes a rich corn flavor. This appetizer recipe is from the cookbook "Emeril's Creole Christmas".