Kraft on Craft—Chef Olivier Robillard Takes the Kraft Challenge

A chef at an independent family restaurant finds inspiration with Kraft.

Olivier Robillard, executive chef at Fat Mardis in Mont-Tremblant, a ski-resort haven in Quebec, is known for his New Orleans-accented comfort food. From his Cajun Chili to his Canal St. Burger, his dishes are approachable, yet original. We challenged him to create an on-trend, delicious entrée salad using a Kraft product. He came back to us with his amazing Mini Crab Cakes on Vegetable Slaw with an Apple-Pecan Dressing that relies on not one, but three Kraft products.

"This dish embodies what I try to do at Fat Mardis," says Chef Robillard. "The seasoning in the crab cakes inflects a Cajun sensibility, and the salad is fresh and crisp. I'm really pleased with how all the flavours came together, and as always, Kraft helped me get there."

Creating a Winning Entrée Salad

To complement the slaw of celery root, fennel, Granny Smith apple, green onion, raisins and roasted pecans, Chef Robillard found inspiration in the creaminess and subtle kick of Kraft Bistro sauce. He embellished it with a purée of apple juice, Canadian maple syrup and roasted pecans.

"The Bistro gave me great acidity that worked really well with the apple in the salad," says Chef Robillard. "It's perfect as the base of a dressing because it gives you that creaminess, but also imparts really wonderful, spicy background notes."

For the mini crab cakes, he turned to Kraft Salad Bowl Dressing to balance the cost incurred from the premium jumbo lump crabmeat. "It has a neutral palette, which works really well for this application, and its low cost definitely helps me balance the food cost of the dish," he says.

Instead of bread, he used Christie Ritz Cracker Crumbs to both bind the crab cakes and coat them. "I used Ritz instead of panko to get that delicious buttery flavour. It plays well with the richness of the lump crab," says Chef Robillard. For New Orleans flair, he added Cajun seasoning, lemon juice, parsley and Worcestershire sauce.

"Making the crab cakes mini delivers a prettier presentation, and they don't weigh down the salad at all. Everything is light and refreshing," says Chef Robillard.

Behind the Chef

Chef Robillard takes pride in his repertoire, which balances a long list of housemade recipes with carefully selected convenience products. "I use Kraft vinaigrettes for most of my salads because I love the profiles and the quality," he says. He also uses Kraft Signature Mandarin Orange with Sesame as a steak marinade for his Asian stir-fry. "The Bistro Sauce is really versatile. We use it as a spread in our Fat Mardis Club Sandwich and as one of the dipping sauces for our beer-battered appetizer platter."

Although Fat Mardis is firmly planted in comfort food and serves a mostly tourist-based clientele that clamors for it, he does succeed in pushing the boundaries. His take on shepherd's pie? Beef shoulder cooked with demi-glace, shallot, caramelized onion and corn, then topped with smashed red potatoes. "We have to stay in the comfort-food realm, but I've created dishes that just stretch it a bit while still giving diners what they want," he says.

Chef Robillard Unplugged

A personal collection of more than 300 cookbooks inspires Chef Robillard. "I buy at least one a week," he says. "I don't read them for the precise recipes, but for the stories that go with them. I love to see how other chefs come up with recipes, what influences them, and how they put dishes together."

Here are a few highlights from our interview with Chef Robillard:

KRAFT:	If you were sent to a desert island, what three ingredients would you take with you?
ROBILLARD:	Butter, salt and onions.
KRAFT:	What is your favourite kitchen tool?
ROBILLARD:	A mandoline.
KRAFT:	Who would you most like to cook for?
ROBILLARD:	Thomas Keller of the French Laundry. When I got his cookbook 10 years ago, I knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life.
KRAFT:	Where was the last place you dined?
ROBILLARD:	Lorenzillo's, a lobster house in Cancun, Mexico.
KRAFT:	What is your favourite Kraft product?
ROBILLARD:	Velveeta Cheese. When I was little, my dad added the cheese to grilled baguette, then toasted it. It's still my favourite snack.

What's Next for Chef Robillard?

Every summer, Chef Robillard participates in the Rotary Celebrity Golf Classic, which benefits local and international charities. He boasts a 10-12 handicap, and is a golf instructor in his spare time.