Chef
Robin's Favorite Recipes
he
recipes below are some of my personal favorites.
Many of them can be prepared as part of my
personal chef service,
or you can try them yourself if you're feeling ambitious!
This
page changes regularly to reflect the flavors and ingredients
of the season, so make sure you print out a copy - it may
be gone tomorrow!
White
Gazpacho with Shrimp
(serves 4)
ingredients:
6 slices wheat bread
3 Tbl. sherry vinegar
1 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup seedless grapes, green
1/2 pound medium shrimp, p&d
1/2 medium European cucumber
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, smashed & chopped
2 Tbl. celery, minced
2 1/2 cups cold water
2 Tbl. cilantro, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
Cut
crusts off bread and discard. Tear bread into pieces. Peel,
seed and chop cucumber.
Fill
a large bowl with ice and water. In another bowl, combine
the bread, almonds, grapes, cucumber and garlic with the water,
oil and vinegar. Working in batches, puree the mixture in
a blender then transfer to a large bowl set in the ice bath.
Stir the soup until chilled; season with salt and cayenne.
Reserve the ice bath.
In
a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the shrimp until
opaque, about 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in the ice bath
until chilled. Drain well; pat dry and cut into quarters crosswise.
Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with the shrimp,
tomato, celery and cilantro and serve.
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Summer
Pilaf with Salmon and Vegetables
(serves 4)
ingredients:
2 tsp. butter
1 1/3 Tbl. fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, diced
1 1/3 Tbl. fresh chives, chopped
2/3 cup green beans, 1” diagonal cut
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cups long-grain brown rice, hot and cooked
1 roasted red pepper, diced
2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 tsp. salt
1/3 cup vegetable broth
freshly ground pepper
1 pound smoked salmon, julienne
Melt
butter in a large over medium-high heat. Add onion and green
beans; cook 6 minutes or until tender; stirring occasionally.
Stir in rice, peas and broth; cook 1 minute. Add salmon, parsley,
and remaining ingredients; stir well to combine. Cook 2 minutes
or until thoroughly heated.
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Sesame
Chicken Salad
(serves 4)
Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup sesame seeds
6 Tbl. rice vinegar
3 Tbl. vegetable oil
2 1/2 Tbl. fresh ginger, minced
5 ounces mixed baby greens
2 Tbl. Dijon mustard
1/2 ea. hothouse cucumber
Chicken:
2 large tomatoes, 8 wedges
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
For
dressing: Whisk all ingredients in bowl. Season with salt
and pepper.
For
Chicken: Whisk mustard and syrup in bowl to blend. Add
chicken & marinate 1 hour.
Spread
sesame seeds on plate. Remove chicken from marinade; shake
off excess. Coat chicken on both sides with sesame seeds.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tbl. oil in large nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken
to skillet and sauté until just cooked through, about
2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add more oil
to skillet as needed for each batch.
Mix
greens, cucumber (unpeeled and sliced thin), and tomatoes
in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Divide salad
among 4 plates. Top with chicken, drizzle with any remaining
dressing and serve.
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Salade Americaine
(serves 4)
ingredients:
2 2/3 Tbl. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh basil, torn
1 1/3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 each green pepper, minced
2 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
2/3 each tomato, minced
2/3 lemon, juiced
2/3 small red onion, minced
3 Tbl. dry white wine
3 each scallion, sliced thin
1 pint corn
2 Tbl. fresh parsley, chopped
In
a heavy saucepan, heat the oil over moderate heat and in it
cook the garlic with the lemon juice, wine, thyme, salt and
pepper.
Add the corn and simmer the mixture for 3 minutes. In a bowl
combine the corn mixture, bell pepper, onion, tomato, scallions,
parsley and basil. Season with salt & pepper and mix well.
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Eggplant
Mykonos
(serves 4)
ingredients:
2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground fennel
2 Tbl. olive oil
2 Tbl. fresh dill, chopped
1 large eggplant
2 Tbl. lemon juice
1 large red pepper
3 cups fresh spinach, packed
2 pound tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup water
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper
In a nonreactive stewpot, sauté the onions and garlic
in the olive oil until translucent. Cut the eggplant into
1" cubes and add them to the pot. Slice the pepper into
1" square pieces. Add the peppers, tomatoes, water, salt,
and fennel to the pot.
Cover
the pot and simmer, stirring frequently, until the eggplant
is completely tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the fresh
dill, the lemon juice and spinach. Simmer for another minute
or two until the spinach wilts but is still bright green.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with feta.
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Orange
Almond Salad
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry
1 bunch spring onions, sliced 1/2" long
1 package slivered almonds, toasted
2 each oranges (or 1 can mandarin oranges)
Salad Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
If
using whole oranges, peel then cut segments away from papery
skin. If using mandarin oranges, drain and gently rinse under
cold water.
To
prepare dressing: Combine the red wine vinegar and the
sugar in a small bowl. Whisk vigorously until all the sugar
is dissolved. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil to
combine.
Gently
toss the lettuce, almonds, scallions and oranges in a large
bowl. Just before serving, pour all the dressing over salad
and toss to coat each leaf of lettuce with dressing.
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