PRIME RIB
   ROBINSON CABERNET SAUVIGNON
 

Ingredients:

Cabernet Jus:

  • 1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 4 cups canned beef broth
  • 1 ½ cups Ruby Port
  • 3 large garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 large shallot, peeled and halved
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
Prime Rib:
  • 1 6 lb. boneless prime rib beef roast
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary leaves
  • 1 Tbsp. mixed whole peppercorns, coarsely crushed
Directions:

Combine the ingredients for the Cabernet Jus in a non-aluminum saucepan. Boil until reduced to 2 cups, about 40 minutes. (The jus may be prepared up to 2 days ahead, kept covered in the refrigerator.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place beef, fat side up, in a heavy baking pan. Rub the beef with minced garlic and rosemary, and sprinkle the crushed pepper on top. Season with salt. Roast beef for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325 degrees. Continue cooking until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 125 degrees for medium-rare, another hour and a half to two hours. Tent loosely with foil about halfway through, or earlier if it browns too quickly. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes.

Pour off fat from roasting pan. Place pan over medium-high heat. Add the Cabernet mixture and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour jus into a sauceboat and serve with beef.

Serves 8.

 
   ROASTED LAMB CHOPS
  ROBINSON 2001 CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Ingredients:
1 eight-bone rack of lamb, frenched (you can ask your butcher to do this for you)
4 T Dijon mustard
1 ½ C Panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
½ bunch thyme, leaves picked
½ cup pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste
 

  1. In a food processor, combine Panko, thyme, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Process until pine nuts are fairly chopped.
     
  2. Generously season the lamb chops with salt and pepper. In a very hot sauté pan, sear all sides of the lamb until golden brown. Remove. Cool.
     
  3. Rub lamb rack with mustard, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Roast in a 400º oven for about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the rack. Pull lamb when internal temperature is about 130º and then let rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice into 4 individual chops per person or cut into two double chops.
     
  4. Serve with Robinson 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon.



 
   SHORT RIB RAVIOLI
  ROBINSON CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Ingredients:
5-6# short ribs
(ask your butcher for 1# 3-rib short ribs for consistency in cooking)
1 large onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
½ cup red wine, preferably Cabernet
½ cup ruby style port
4 cups beef stock, preferably home made but canned will do nicely
4 Yukon gold potatoes (size of lemons) boiled and diced small
salt and pepper.
3 T vegetable oil
Olive oil
2 ½ -3 pounds pasta sheets*
2T chopped parsley mixed together with 1 tsp lemon zest
Grated parmesan

in saché
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries
3 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh sage
2 cloves

1. Heat vegetable oil until it just starts to smoke in a heavy bottom pot large enough to fit all the short ribs in a single layer
2. rub short ribs with olive oil and salt and pepper generously (olive oil will help the salt ant pepper stick to the meat, (neat trick)
3. brown short ribs on all sides and remove from pan, drain all but 1T oil
4. Add vegetables except potato on high heat and sauté 2-3 minutes until they start to brown, deglaze with wine and port, reduce by ½
5. add beef stock, saché and short ribs, bring to a boil, cover and put in 300-degree oven for aprox. 2½ hours, check and rotate every 45 minutes. Short ribs should be falling off the bone tender
6. remove ribs from the liquid and let cool. When cool enough to handle, shred meat from the bone and mix in diced Yukon gold potatoes
7. strain the sauce and reduce by 1/3, puree the vegetables and add back to the sauce. Use a small amount of sauce to moisten meat and potato mixture
8. roll out pasta, mound 2T meat mixture, egg wash pasta, press and cut ravioli, making sure edges are securely pressed close
9. boil ravioli in salted water 2-3 minutes until pasta is cooked, drain, add to heated sauce and serve in pasta bowls with a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese and parsley mixture

*You may use egg roll wrappers instead of pasta sheets, allow 2 ravioli per wrapper
 

Tamarind Glazed Pork Tenderloin & Smoked Ribs
Confit Carrots & Spiced Sweet Potato Purée

 ROBINSON CABERNET SAUVIGNON

  • 2 Tbsp. tamarind BBQ sauce
  • 5 oz. pork tenderloin
  • 4 pcs. pork ribs (recipe to follow)
  • 2 oz. confit carrot (recipe to follow)
  • 3 oz. sweet potato purée (recipe to follow)
  •  
  • Tamarind BBQ Sauce
  • 8 oz. Open Pit BBQ Sauce
  • 2 oz. molasses
  • 4 oz. maple syrup
  • 8 oz. water
  • 2 Tbsp. sambal
  • 2 oz. butter
  • 2 oz. tamarind paste
  • to taste salt & pepper

Simmer all ingredients for 20 minutes and strain. Sauté pork loin rare. Brush w/BBQ sauce, put in oven and cook till medium.

  • Confit Carrots
  • 4 large carrots
  • 32 oz. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. sirracha
  • 4 pcs. star anise
  • to taste salt and pepper

Place all in hotel pan and cook in oven for 45 minutes.

  • Sweet Potato Purée
  • 1 sheet pan sweet potato (roasted)
  • 4 oz. honey
  • 6 oz butter
  • 4 oz. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. spice mix (see recipe in back of book)
  •  
  • Smoked Ribs
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup cumin
  • 1/4 cup ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 cup sweet paprika
  • 1/4 cup coriander
  • 2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. garlic
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Mix all dry ingredients. Coat ribs with dry rub mixture, then refrigerate for 12 hours. Cover pan with foil and roast in over at 225 degrees for 2-1/2 to 4 hours. When done, deglaze pan with cider vinegar and pour over ribs. Grill chops to order.

 

 
   MUSHROOM GRATIN
   ROBINSON 2002 MERLOT

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup homemade bread crumbs
3/4 cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
4 ounces whole oyster mushrooms
1/2 cup Chardonnay
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450°F or preheat the broiler. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, and thyme and mix well.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add all the mushrooms and sauté until well wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, cream, salt, and pepper and cook until the liquid is bubbly, 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a bowl. Increase the heat to high and cook to reduce the sauce until thick enough to coat a spoon, 6 to 10 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the sauce and stir. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart gratin dish and sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top. Place in the oven or under the broiler until the topping is toasted and the sauce is bubbling again, about 3 minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve.

 

 PASTA WITH PESTO
 ROBINSON 2002 MERLOT

Serves: (makes) 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1/2 cup pine nuts or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)Five Cheese with Spinach Dough Ravioli
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups firmly packed basil leaves
1/4 cup firmly packed mint leaves
1/4 cup firmly packed cilantro leaves
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add the garlic, jalapeño and ginger. Process until blended. Add the basil, mint and cilantro and process until smooth. Add the lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Process until blended.

Gradually add the oil in a steady stream while the motor is running until a thick paste forms.

Serve with your favorite pasta.

 
 VEGETABLE PRIMAVERA 
 ROBINSON 2002 MERLOT

Serves: 8 as a main course
Ingredients:
2 lb Ruby Crescent potatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup Chardonnay
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz sugar snap peas
1 lb young asparagus sliced into 1-inch lengths or broccoli flowerettes

Directions:
In a large saucepan combine potatoes, broth, wine, lemon juice and garlic. Slowly bring to a simmer and cook until tender, (about 15 minutes). Remove potatoes to a bowl and reduce liquid to 1/2 cup adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour reduced liquid over potatoes and set aside.

Blanch peas, asparagus, broccoli and carrots in salted boiling water, separately plunging each in ice water bath to set color.

Season the vegetables with salt, oil, lemon zest and pepper.

Toss the potatoes and vegetables in a large bowl adding radishes, mint, cilantro and parsley. Arrange watercress on serving plates and divide mixture evenly.