Chef Lionel Robin
Robin's Restaurant in Henderson, LA

Brad: Tonight's guest speaker is Chef Lionel Robin of Robin's.

Court: hey everyone

Cheflionel: Welcome everyone to the chat.

Pompon: Bonsoir Chef

Brad presents the speaker with question #2 from Pompon: I have an interest in cooking deserts with hot peppers.. I made a jelly and sherbet (with a red wine base).. I always have trouble for them to "set"... do you have a solution that can help (gelatine does not work too well)?

Cheflionel: We make a TABASCO ice cream. From one gallon of ice cream, I add a two ounce bottle of TABASCO sauce

Pompon: Not too easy to order via mail.. I live in montreal

Cheflionel: it gives you a real rich flavor of TABASCO

Pompon: The vinegary taste does not off-balance it?

Brad: A whole bottle in the Ice Cream?

Pompon: You use Vanilla ice-cream?

Cheflionel: After the first two or three bites, then you begin to get the flavor of the TABASCO, which stays constant and doesn't get any more hot. If you put too much TABASCO, it will effect the taste of the ice cream.. the trick is to use the right amount. Our experience has been that a two ounce bottle is the perfect amount for a one gallon batch. The trick we've found is to shake the two ounce bottle a lot before you add it to the batch of ice cream.

Brad presents the speaker with question #3 from Pompon: What would be a good substitute for Tomatoes in my chili? I'm not all too fond of tomatoes, red bell peppers seems to make the chili to pasty and lacking liquid....

Peppa: would it taste good on garlic ice cream?

Cheflionel: If you don't like tomatoes, maybe you could blanche the tomato in boiling water because there's not really a good substitute for tomatoes... peel the skin of the tomato and cut the tomato in half. Then take the seeds out and just use the pulp.

Brad presents the speaker with question #4 from Pompon: What flavor Ice cream do you use as base?

Cheflionel: We have always used the vanilla base for the ice cream. It's the base we usually use for all of our ice cream.

Brad presents the speaker with question #5 from Chef_greg: How do you mix the ice cream with the TABASCO?

Cheflionel: just mix the ice cream like any recipe you use for vanilla. At the end of your mix, add a two ounce bottle, stir, and freeze. I would recommend that you make your ice cream from scratch.

Brad: make it from scratch?

Pompon: naturally

Cheflionel: If you use a store bought ice cream, you would almost have to melt it then add the TABASCO sauce, and stir it really well.

Brad: then refreeze it?

Cheflionel: then just you just refreeze it

Cheflionel: yup

Brad presents the speaker with question #7 from Pompon: Does blanching the tomatoes take away the acidity, the taste AND the smell?

Cheflionel: No.... all it will do is make it easier to peel it, so that it actually pops the skin so you can pull it off more easily

Brad presents the speaker with question #6 from Court: when did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career in cooking?

Pompon: the skin is not the problem.. it's the taste

Cheflionel: I decided that at a young age when I decided that I liked people and I liked cooking... given those two decisions, the restaurant business is the career that suited me".

Brad presents the speaker with question #8 from Court: how do you like cooking on the road with Team TABASCO?

Cheflionel: I like the fact that I can bring cajun cooking to all of these different tracks. It's wonderful to be able to travel and expose our cajun cooking. It's awesome!

Brad presents the speaker with question #9 from Court: Do you have any good Team TABASCO stories?

Brad chuckles in amusement.

Cheflionel: one second.

Cheflionel laughs hysterically.

Cheflionel: I never thought in my wildest dreams that a simple egg sandwich could become so popular at the race track. People actually hunt us down for it, knock on the trailer, and hope to be invited to have one of our egg sandwiches. We're still lookin for a name to call this sandwich.. we had first called it eggo, but we found out it was a trademarked by Kellogg's... so now we're hunting for a new name for our sandwich

Brad: What's on it?

Cheflionel: The sandwich consists of a scrambled egg with ham, chives, TABASCO seasoning, TABASCO sauce. You cook it on the top of the grill. You put it on a sesame bun and with mayonnaise. Then we add shredded lettuce and cold tomatoes.

Pompon: I have used green TABASCO in my eggs for a long time.. scrambled or sunny-side up

Brad: What's TABASCO seasoning?

Pompon: AAAAARRHHHH ----- not TOMATOES?

Cheflionel: Of course there's TABASCO and egg, which are the most important ingredients. The hot and cold sandwich is makes it absolutely incredible.

Brad: What's TABASCO seasoning?

Cheflionel: Laury seasoning salt makes a salt with TABASCO in it.

Brad presents the speaker with question #10 from Chef_greg: What's your favorite TABASCO recipe?

Cheflionel: I've got a million. The most interesting one...

Chef_greg: Let me guess...TABASCO ice cream with tomatoes".

Cheflionel: I was looking for the recipe and I just found it.. Hot roasted pecans

Pompon: Sounds delicious... can you post it?

Cheflionel: We take TABASCO, worcestershire, butter, toss them together, put them in a slow roasting oven... We serve them as a snack.

Brad presents the speaker with question #15 from Peppa: call it TAB-EGG-O (like the island on the caribbean)

Cheflionel: That's wonderful! We need some help on that name. Thanks! If we adopt that name, we'll send you a case of TABASCO

Brad presents the speaker with question #14 from Alec: Do you know any good Cajun jokes?

Cheflionel: Hold on a second... You caught me off guard. I used to know a whole bunch of them.

Brad presents the speaker with question #21 from Peppa: then you'll have to come up with another sandwich called TRINIDAD, maybe you can use three kinds of TABASCO sauce on it

Cheflionel: We can do that, it's easy.

Cheflionel: We have four sauces.

Brad presents the speaker with question #17 from Court: Do you ever have any wild requests at the track?

Cheflionel: Pepper sauce, green sauce, garlic and habanero

Cheflionel: I have a good cajun joke!

Cheflionel: Boudreaux was standing in his field, Thibodeaux passed and saw him... It was 8:00 am. At 12:00 he was still there. At 5:00, he was still there. Thibodeaux picked up a six pack to meet him. He says, 'Boudreaux, What are you doing in the field?.' 'U'm trying to win the Nobel Peace Prize like they said on CNN. They were looking for someone out standing in his field!'

Brad laughs hysterically.

Court applauds fervently.

Peppa laughs at Chef_greg.

Court snickers.

Pompon shakes his head.

Alec grins evilly.

Chef_greg groans loudly.

Peppa laughs hysterically.

TABASCOkim laughs convulsively.

Cheflionel: More than ever, people are willing to try cajun dishes that we prepare at the track. They have been more than receptive.

Brad presents the speaker with question #20 from Chef_greg: In what proportions, for that pecan recipe?

Cheflionel: Two cups of pecans, 6 cups of butter and 2-3 dashes of TABASCO.

Chef_greg: 6 cups?!!!

Cheflionel: as much TABASCO as you'd like

Cheflionel: One stick of butter, sorry.

Pompon: how much worscheschessschesehstshsire sauce?

Brad chuckles in amusement.

Cheflionel: Oops, half a stick of butter

TABASCOkim smirks.

Cheflionel: Two toes of garlic, teaspoon of worcestershire sauce. Melt the butter, TABASCO, worcestershire sauce, toss over the pecans and bake for 45 min to an hour at 250 -300 degrees. Let them cool. You can add more seasoning salt if you like.

Brad presents the speaker with question #26 from Peppa: besides cajun, what is your favorite type of cuisine?

Cheflionel: French and Italian

Brad presents the speaker with question #22 from Court: Do you have a favorite TABASCO product?

Cheflionel: TABASCO Pepper Sauce is the best. It's got unique flavor and character.

Brad presents the speaker with question #18 from Pompon: Would Habanero Sauce work ok with Ice cream?

Cheflionel: Habanero is very flavorful, but it would be very hot. I would not use more than 1-oz per gallon. Thanks for the comment, I'll try it tomorrow!

Brad presents the speaker with question #11 from Peppa: Bayona restaurant in new orleans serves a delicious garlic ice cream, do you think TABASCO garlic sauce would go well with that?

Cheflionel: Go well in making the ice cream or with the actual garlic ice cream?

Brad presents the speaker with question #25 from Peppa: do you know where to get fresh alligator meat in N.O., and where can I find the best recipe for "sauce piquante

Brad: hmmn.

Cheflionel: The best is in Cecilia, LA called BayouLand Seafood. The number is 318-667-6118. Don't know where go in N.O. I don't prepare alligator much.

Brad presents the speaker with question #23 from Peppa: do you cook nutria?

Brad chuckles in amusement.

Cheflionel: No.

Brad: You may submit a question to Chef Lionel Robin by clicking on the red question mark icon. Then enter your question and hit return.

Brad: We have time for a few more...

Brad presents the speaker with question #28 from Peppa: what other recipes is "sauce piquante good on?, do you have a good one

Pompon: I've got to go.... talk to you later... hopefully we'll meet in Avery, next week

Court: bye pompon

Cheflionel: We use sauce piquante with shrimp, turtle, frog legs, chicken. If you need a recipe, write to us and we'll gladly send it to you. PO Box 542, Henderson, LA 70517

Brad: maybe we can post some here on the site

Brad presents the speaker with question #30 from Peppa: can you talk a little bit about your gumbo

Cheflionel: What would you like to know?

Brad: I've had it - its delicious! It tastes very 'dark' and rich.. how do you do it?

Cheflionel: First we use flour and peanut oil for our roux. It gives it that nutty flavor. It should be the color of peanut butter, a little bit darker

Brad: oh yes its comin' back to me now

Brad presents the speaker with question #29 from Court: what are your favorite Louisiana style and then international dishes that you like to eat and prepare?

Brad: First: louisiana dish

Cheflionel: LA style dish - Crawfish Etouffee

Brad: International?

Cheflionel: International - Anything in the Country-French style

Brad: last question..

Brad presents the speaker with question #32 from Court: Do people farm frogs for eating or is it strictly caught from nature?

Brad: Free range frogs

Peppa laughs hysterically.

Cheflionel: There are frog farms in Rayne, LA

Brad: ah!

Cheflionel: Most of the frogs are caught in the wild.

Brad: Closing comments - Chef Lionel?

Cheflionel: I've really enjoyed the chat! If there are any questions I can help you in the future, write me PO Box 542, Henderson, LA 70517

Cheflionel: We appreciate all of the team support

Court: thank you so much chef robin. i hope to see you trackside someday.

Cheflionel: We want your support and intend to earn it as a loyal sponsor!

Brad: Well I think thats about it for tonight's chat - I want to thankChef Lionel Robin of Robin's and everyone for coming and joining in. Look for the Chef trackside at the NASCAR races. He is the official Chef for TEAM TABASCO. - in the TABASCO Hot Zone. Thanks a lot Chef. Mark your calendars: Next month's chat is Chef James Graham.

Brandon: Dear Chef Lionel: It was great to find TABASCO on line. I realize that I do not have the correct day to talk to you, but I am wondering if you can return my question by e-mail, -brandon@usa.net. Several years ago TABASCO put out a recipe for French Onion Soup, it was the best but I lost the recipe. Do you still have it on file or is it lost forever. Thank you, Brandon Mahaffy ,ps I m going to try all of your recipes, do you any favourites.