Chef Robin's Tastes to Date: December 2010

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Asiago bread for dinner!!!

YUMMMYLICIOUS!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A Menu, again...FINALLY!!! :0)

Chef Robin's weekly menu was on hiatus for a few weeks...BUSY BUSY BUSY! Back to attack...baby! Menu for 12/27-1/2 (that sounds wierd, happy year end...and beginning!:)))
Monday:Grilled Chicken and smoked gouda sausages on Pretzel rolls with carmelized onions and honey mustard(Mmmm), Sweet potato fries, homemade applesauce
Tuesday: Beef and bean tostadas with all the fixin's, spanish rice, orange wedges
Wednesday: "Gnudi" pasta with sauteed mushrooms and fresh sage butter, asiago bread, mixed greens with feta, kalmatas & roasted peppers, sherry vinaigrette
Thursday: Gingered Chicken and Peppers, sticky rice, cut fruit
Friday: Pizza, maybe fancy ones! And a tiny bit of bubbly...at like 10, then I'll pass out, surely...not one for that midnight stuff!
Saturday:Cheddar Broccoli Soup with GHBC Retro White Rolls(they are the BOMB!!!) Veggies n' spinach dip
Sunday:Teryaki Pork Tenderloin, Rice, Asian slaw

Thursday, December 23, 2010

A very special dinner for very special friends! Love u Dykgraafs!

Dinner at the Dykgraaf Chateau
Appetizer
Pizzettes with Smoked provolone, Caramelized onion, Chicken apple Sausage and fresh rosemary
Soup
Maitake mushrooms & shrimp in a ginger and lemongrass-laced Thai broth
Salad
Arugula, Fresh-Pickled Beets, Marinated Goat Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Entree
Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb with Concord-Merlot Reduction, Kentucky Whiskey Sweet Potatoes, Horseradish-Caramelized Shallot Whipped Potatoes, Hericot Vertes with Tri-color Julienne Peppers
Dessert
Crème Brulee with Fresh Berries

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Cocktail party a huge success!!!

I catered my second annual cocktail party for a wonderful couple in EGR. Everyone love, love, LOVED the food! Awes! Their faves seemed to be the Apple-smoked Gouda-chicken sausage, caramelized onion and fresh Rosemary pizzette! (whew, that was a yummylicious mouthful!:0))
Second to that were the honey BBQ chipotle pulled pork sliders with pickles on delish Retro White rolls from GHBC---thanks Ric & Betty!and coming in a close third were the Thai flat iron steak Satay skewers! Yum!
Beautiful display of desserts , too!
Back to reality today...hangin' with the 5 kiddies(2 Sickies!:() and hubster by the fire:)
G'night!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Class, catering, catering...

Busy weeks! Friday, had a great time teaching my Fish and seafood class...then it was onto a gourmet meal at the Gantz Chateau...Check out what they had!

Miso-glazed Sea Scallops with Sesame-gingered Sauteed Spinach

New England Clam Chowda'

Caesar Salads in Lacy Parmesan Baskets

Surf-n-Turf-Herbed Filet w/Bernaise & Lobster Tails w/Lobster Cream, Haricot Vertes, Tricolored Peppers, Whiskey-maple Sweet Potatoes and Horseradish-Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Triple Chocolate Threat & Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Pie

Now it's onto my next gathering the 18th in EGR!

Fun stuff!!!
Have a great CHILLY week!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Fish, Scallops and Shrimp, Oh My!

Another packed class this friday! I will be demonstrating the following dishes:

Mediterranean Shrimp

New England Chowda'

Simply Fantabulous Scallops

Island Mahi Mahi with Thai Coconut Sauce

Asian Roasted Salmon

PLUS wine tasting...AWESOME!!!

Will YOU be there?!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Menu of the week !2/6-12/12

Ok, IF my car starts today (electrical issues with the stinkin' 99 Montana! Grrr) and I get to the grocery store, here is the meal plan for the week...
Tonight: Grilled Mahi Mahi with Thai coconut sauce, sauteed sugar snaps, red peppers & carrots, jasmine rice
Tuesday: Honey crunch chicken dippers with honey mustard, roated potato wedges, Vegetable Crudite with penzey's ranch
Wednesday: Beef Stew, homemade roasted garlic/potato bread, applesauce
Thursday: Mediterannean Shrimp and linguine, sauteed spinach with olives, red peppers & feta, asiago bread
Friday: Pizza with Maddie (I have a class, yay!)
Saturday: Dinner with Gigi & Grampy, The Chef n' Hubby are going to be catering :0))
Sunday: Paninis, Cheddar Broccoli soup (easy breezy, lemon squeezy!)

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

My fam loves to eat buffalo wings, so I decided to make that flavor into chili. I end up topping this spicy bowl of yummy stuff with “da’ Bomb!” dip and kettle style potato or tortilla chips, for a yummy salty crunch.

Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Classes, 2010.
Serves 8

½ C. butter
2 C. finely chopped onion
1 C. finely chopped celery
1 C. finely chopped carrot
4 cooked chicken breasts cut into small chunks
4 C. chicken broth
1 C. Frank’s Red Hot sauce
1-29oz. can tomato puree
1 can light red kidney beans

In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add chopped onion, celery & carrot. Saute until vegetables are soft. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot, topped with the dip n’ chips. Yum, it’s got a nice kick!

"Da Bomb Dip"

Organic Kaleriffic Salad

From Chef Robin

Serves 4-6

½ C thinly sliced red onion

1 T raw apple cider vinegar

2 C boiling water

2 packages organic baby kale

2 C fresh porteenie mushrooms,

cleaned & thinly sliced

¼ C. extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

¼ C wild blueberry balsamic vinegar

For garnish: ¼ C toasted pine nuts &

1 C. fresh or 1/3 C. dried organic

blueberries

Place the sliced red onion in a small

bowl with apple cider vinegar and

boiling water. Allow to soak 10-15

minutes. Rinse & squeeze out excess

moisture. Place kale & criminis in a

large bowl. Drizzle with oil and

sprinkle with salt. Massage the

mixture with your hands until the

kale turns a deep green and wilts

slightly. Add onions and balsamic

vinegar to kale mixture. Toss, adjust

seasoning to your taste and serve

garnished with some toasted pine

nuts & blueberries.

Kale provides you with 868% RDA of Vitamin K, 261% of Vitamin A, 170% of

Vitamin C, 33% of Manganese, as well as 12% of Calcium, Copper & Vitamin B6

HEALTHY SNACKS FOR KIDS

Kids need healthy snacks to fuel their energetic days and growing bodies. Here are some healthy, kid pleasing snacks that will make their engines rev all day long!:

Pretzel rods dipped in melted dark chocolate and rolled in crushed nuts or unsweetened coconut- salty, sweet and full of antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated fats!

Lowfat cheese cut into squares paired with whole wheat crackers- let them build a tower with this fiber, whole grain & calcium packed snack!

Homemade Veggie Ranch Dip: mix together 1 Cup canola mayonnaise or "Veganaise", 1/2 Cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove fresh garlic, smashed, 1 Tbsp. each fresh parsley, chives & dill (or 1 tsp. each, dried), 2 T buttermilk, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and sea salt & pepper to taste. Use yummy carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, fresh green beans and other veggies to dip like crazy!

Fruity sensations-give the kids slices of apples, wedges of oranges, halved grapes and berries, sliced mangoes, you name it, and let them go to town creating edible art!

Green eggs & Ham: put a drop of green food coloring in some Vanilla Greek yogurt, mix together and top with a canned apricot or peach half. Pair with a mini whole wheat tortilla slathered with cream cheese, raspberry preserves and a slice of your fave deli ham- kids love this "Seussical" treat!

Trail mix- who can resist trail mix? Make it healthy with unsalted nuts and seeds, air popped popcorn,whole grain mini crackers (like cheddar fish) and alphabet pretzels- add in some dried cranberries or blueberries for antioxidants and yummy semi-sweet chocolate chips for a little monounsaturated fat too!

Whole Grain Mini Pizzas- whole wheat English muffins or bagels split & topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and veggies-perfect made in a toaster oven!

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas- serve them up with vegetarian re-fried beans and 2% milk cheese. Serve with your fave salsa- and add in some chunks of avocado and corn, YUM!

Creme Brulee

A classic French Bistro dish, this dessert has an amazingly short list of ingredients, and with a bit of careful cooking, you can have this decadent treat at home! Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series, 2010. Makes 8- 6 oz servings

1 Qt. heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

½ C. sugar or vanilla sugar

6 egg yolks

Brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300. Place cream in a heavy saucepan. Split vanilla bean down the middle and scrape seeds out. Place beans & pod into cream. Heat until just boiling, then cover & set aside to steep for 15minutes. Meanwhile, Whisk egg yolks & sugar together. Strain cream into egg yolk mixture. Mix well. Pour custard into ramekins, then place them in 9 x 13 pans. Pour boiling hot water into the pan going half way up the ramekins. Bake for 40 minutes, or until custard is set, but quivering when jiggled. Remove from oven and cool to room temp. Cover & refrigerate for up to 2 days. A few hours before serving, sprinkle cold custard with brown sugar and place under a low broiler. Broil for about 2 minutes, or until sugar liquefies…watch like a hawk! Sugar BURNS very quickly! Return to fridge, then serve garnished with fresh berries and a refreshing sprig of mint.

French Onion Soup

A Yummy Bistro fave made from the humble & affordable onion! This delish pot of savory broth is fun to serve to company! Makes 8-10 servings.

Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series

4 medium sized sweet onions, peeled & sliced fine

2 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped

4 T. butter

1 t. salt

½ t. dried thyme

1 t. sugar

½ C. sherry or brandy

8 C. beef broth

Pepper, to taste

Croutons

Gruyere cheese, grated

Smoked provolone slices

In a large soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and allow to S_L_O_W_L_Y caramelize. (hint…leave them be!!!) Don’t stir the onions for a good 10 minutes. This allows them to melt down into velvety sweet strands of yumminess! Stir a few times over a period of 30 minutes, until the onions are nicely browned. (you can add a splash of water if they start to stick to the bottom of the pan) Add garlic, salt, thyme, sugar & pepper, stir to combine. Add sherry and allow to cook for 5 minutes, and then add broth. Bring soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer & allow to do so for 30 minutes.

Turn broiler to hi heat. Fill 6 to 8 oz. bowls with soup, leaving about a ¼ inch rim on the top. Top with a handful of croutons, a few tablespoons of gruyere and a slice of provolone. Place bowls on a pan and place under broiler for 1 minute, or until golden and bubbly. Serve.

Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These yummy lil’ cakes are moist, chocolatey and topped with the cream cheese frosting they are sooo good! Chef Robin Gourmet Cooking Series, 2010.

Makes 24 standard cupcakes

4 eggs

1 C. oil

2 C. sugar

2 t. vanilla

I small can pumpkin

(14.5-15 ounce, or half of a 29 ounce can)

2 C. flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

3 t. pumpkin pie spice

2 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together eggs, oil , sugar, vanilla & pumpkin n a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix together all dry ingredients, including chocolate chips, add to wet ingredients. Bake in lined muffin tins for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Place on a cooling rack, until cool to the touch. Meanwhile, make frosting:

¾ C. softened butter

8 oz. softened cream cheese

24 oz. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

Garnish

½ C. chocolate chips

Cream together butter & cream cheese, add powdered sugar, little by little, then add vanilla, beat until smooth in texture. Grate chocolate chips in a handheld cheese grater, set aside. Frost cool cupcakes, and “dip” the tops of the cupcakes in the grated chocolate as garnish. Keep cupcakes refrigerated, yummy good!

Weller-Black Wine Celebration