Valentine's Day Dinner & More

"Love is where the yummility is"
....or whatever.
Could it be the air of festivity? the romantic atmosphere? There must be something that makes me so philosophical (again?)...mumbling phrases of (seriously twisted) love, while tip toeing around the kitchen preparing dinner.

So, what sort of food I find suitable for a night of (cheesy and corny) romance?
Something that screams decadent, succulent and scrumptious.

Salad with Duck Liver Mousse or Brie on Pumpernickle Toast
- Pumpernickle bread
- Duck liver mousse
- Brie
- Bean sprouts
- Olive oil, salt, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest
Place sprouts in a bowl, drizzle olive oil, balsamic vinegar, grate a bit of lemon zest, season with salt and pepper, squeeze some lemon juice, mix well. Drizzle bread with olive oil and toast. Spread duck liver mousse or brie on top, add some sprouts, drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar....and bite.

What to do with such succulence?

They were marinated in lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, salt and sugar, and sauteed until just pink, then set aside...to rejoin others to complete the pasta dish...

Shrimps and Bacon Squid Ink Tagliatelle in Creamy Sauce

- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- cream
- squid ink tagliatelle (or replace with any pasta)
- bacon
- shrimps (deshelled, deveined, marinated, sauteed)
- olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, lemon juice
Cook pasta as directed in the packet. Saute garlic with olive oil and butter, add cream, season. Once pasta is almost done, drain, quickly toss into the pan with creamy sauce, add shrimps, cook until the shrimps are just done, transfer to plate, add crispy bacon, squeeze some lemon juice...

...for maximum cheesiness, serve pasta in just one plate, provide two forks, feed each other, sip something sparkly in a pretty color, and lick....the plate clean.

The Most Perfect Steak I've Ever Done

Heyyy, good loookin'! Come to papa...
- 2 pieces of rib eye steak with nice marbling
- Olive oil, butter, dry herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage), salt, black pepper
- bean sprouts
- red wine, steak sauce (it comes with the beef, but you can choose to make your own sauce)

Preheat oven to 180C (350F), and on a stove top, heat a frying pan until really really really hot (I saw smoke!) without oil. Drizzle steak with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and dried herbs. Place steaks on the very very hot pan, try not to flip/move it around, let them sear until nicely charred (it was about 1.5 minutes per side, also depends on how thick your steak is and how done you want it to be, I love mine medium to medium well), transfer to oven and let them cook for 5 more minutes, remove from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.

On the pan where you sear the steak, pour steak sauce (optional), add red wine and bring to boil.

Serve steak on top of a bed of salad, drizzle with sauce. Oh, and a nice glass of nice red wine won't hurt ;)

The steak should be nicely seared on the outside, perfectly blushing inside, juice, tender and luscious, with rich and smokey marmaladey sauce. Mmm...mmm...Mmmm!!!

...and when you thought you could not take any more decadence....
Choco Hoto Pots

(adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe)
(serves 4)
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup caster sugar (originally 3/4 cup, which I found too sweet)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Butter four 2/3-cup ramekins and set aside.Using a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate chunks and butter. Set aside to cool. In a separate bowl, combine eggs, sugar and flour. Add cooled chocolate mixture, and mix until blended. Fold in dark chocolate chunks. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins and place on baking sheet. Bake until tops are shiny and cracked and chocolate beneath is hot and gooey, about 15 minutes. Place each ramekin on a small plate with a teaspoon and serve.

Again, the dessert was served with something sweet, sparkly and pretty...

...blushing pink sparkling sake.

Oh what a wonderful night...everything looked beautiful...*hiccup* or maybe it was just the sake?

What did I wear? What did I get? What did I do? What did other Hong Kongers do? Check 'em out at Living La Vida Rita.