10 Restaurant Quality Recipes for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Have you got anything planned? If you're planning on cooking your loved one a romantic meal at home, here are 10 restaurant-quality recipes you can easily recreate at home. Guaranteed to impress ;)

Click on name of dish for the full recipe.


1. Ham and rock melon
This is popularly served as a starter in Spanish or Italian restaurants, we had this numerous times while we were holidaying in Marbella.

To make this, no cooking skills are required. All you need to do is buy a rock melon and good-quality Jamon Iberico or Jamon serrano or Prosciutto. Cut the melon into slices and drape the Prosciutto over it. You can also make them into canapes (recipe here). Lovely with a glass of champagne.

2. Pan seared scallops with cauliflower puree and bacon crumble
This is my favorite scallop recipe, which I have cooked many times in my humble kitchen for my man. Not only does it taste fantastic, it looks really great on the plate too. A sure-fire way to impress your date, yes?

3. Chunky mushroom soup with truffle oil
Who doesn't like mushroom soup, especially when it's made with several different types of mushrooms and then finished off with a drizzle of truffle oil. You can make this early in the morning and then just reheat before serving.

4. Tenderloin steak with pumpkin mash
Steaks are incredibly easy to cook at home. You can also use rib eye or sirloin (these will not require a meat thermometer) - simply cook a 1 inch steak for 2 minutes each side for medium rare doneness.

5. Spaghetti with zucchini and king prawns
If your other half is a fan of Italian cuisine, make this pasta dish and reenact that kiss scene from "Lady and the Tramp". ;)

6. Risotto with scallops, asparagus and bacon bits
Another great Italian dish to recreate at home is risotto. It does require a little more effort, but nonetheless a simple dish to make. Creamy, rich and comforting, your other half will be most impressed and give you an A+ for your effort and the love that goes into making that risotto.

7. Roast lamb loin chops with rosemary and fries
Go to the supermarket and get 4-6 lamb loin chops and a packet of frozen fries and pop them in the oven. In 20 minutes or so, dinner is ready! How is that for easy?

8. Strawberry mille-feuille
Mille-feuille is an elegant and impressive-looking dessert. But guess what, it's soooooo easy to make. Plus Korean strawberries (the best kind!) is in season right now.

9. Passion fruit meringue
Meringues can be made ahead of time (ie make them the evening before) so all you have to do on Valentine's Day is to whip some cream and scoop out the passion fruit onto the meringue. More time to spend with your love!

10. Chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream
Chocolate is considered as a powerful aphrodisiac, so you can't go wrong with chocolate brownies on Valentine's Day. Another dessert you can make the evening before, top it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and you have a winner!

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Recipe: Tenderloin Steak with Pumpkin Mash and Caramelised Onions

Looks like I'm going in reverse order for my Christmas postings this year... starting with dessert (passion fruit meringues) and for my second Christmas 2014 post, it will be the main course.

Tenderloin Steak with Pumpkin Mash and Caramelised Onions

Being meat lovers, beef is usually the star of our Christmas dinner. In the past, we've served roast beef (rib eye is best), op rib (also known as tomahawk, prime rib) and this year, we're thinking of serving individual steaks for Christmas. This is definitely a good option if you're hosting a small Christmas dinner party for your family.

Since it's Christmas, why not splurge on some tenderloin... otherwise, rib eye or striploin would be good too. Since tenderloin is a thick cut, we usually cook it in the grill pan (as we would a normal steak) for about 4 minutes to get a nice sear, then in the oven to finish cooking.

Steaks are fantastic paired with pumpkin. The pumpkin is roasted first, then mashed and simply seasoned with butter, salt and pepper. The sweetness of pumpkin complements steaks perfectly. Also made some caramelised onions to accompany the steak. I'm sure there will be many happy faces in my family if this was served on Christmas Day. :)

Perfectly cooked steak... agree?

Have you planned your menu for Christmas Day yet?




Tenderloin steaks with pumpkin mash and caramelised onions
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves 4


Ingredients
For the steaks
4 tenderloin steaks, about 200-250g each and 2" thick
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Thyme


For the pumpkin mash
800g ripe pumpkin, cut into thin slices
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
A handful fresh rosemary, leaves snipped
A bunch of fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp milk or whipping cream (optional)

For the caramelised onions

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp chopped parsley


For the pumpkin mash
1. Start with the pumpkin mash. Preheat oven to 180°C (roast mode).

2.  Arrange the pumpkin on a baking tray in a single layer. Tuck rosemary and thyme beneath each piece of pumpkin and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until tender and the top layer looks slightly wrinkled. Remove from oven.

4. Remove skin from the pumpkin and place the pumpkin pieces in a bowl. Mash and then add butter, and season with more salt and pepper as necessary. Add a touch of milk or cream if the consistency is too thick.


For the steaks
1. Remove the steaks from fridge one hour before cooking to bring it to room temperature.

2. Wash and pat very dry with kitchen towel. Rub olive oil, salt and pepper all over the steaks.

3. Heat a grill pan over medium high heat for a few minutes,until very hot.

4. Place the steaks in the pan and cook for 2 minutes, then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes.

5. Place steaks on a baking tray, and then place in preheated oven (180C) for 5-6 minutes, or until the meat has reached your desired doneness. To check for doneness, use a meat thermometer.  To test, insert the meat thermometer in the centre of the steak. The temperature you should aim for is between 120°F and 125°F for medium rare.

6. Once it has reached your desired doneness, remove from oven and cover the steak loosely with foil to rest for 5 minutes. Do not cover too tightly or the meat will sweat. After resting, the meat temperature should be around 130°F to 135°F (ie perfect medium rare).

Beef Doneness Temperature Chart

Beef Doneness	Temperature (°F)
Rare	120 - 125
Medium rare	130 - 135
Medium	140 - 145
Medium-well	150 - 155
Well Done	160 & above

Note: You can start cooking the steaks 5 minutes before the pumpkin comes out of the oven.


For the caramelised onions

1. While the steaks rest, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat in grill pan (clean with a kitchen towel beforehand if the pan has any black burnt bits). Add onion, and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes (again, this depends on your preference, how soft you want it). Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar and butter and toss to coat. Season with salt as necessary. Cook for another 5-10 minutes, then turn off heat.

To serve

1. Spoon pumpkin mash onto serving plate, then top with steak and caramelised onions. Garnish with thyme. Serve with good quality salt such as Maldon or Fleur de sel.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2014" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Christmas recipes for the whole month of December 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in December 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: Christmas 2014" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


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Baby Sumo Birthday Week #3: Lunch @ Prime, Le Meridien KL

Been a while since we had lunch at Prime KL, so we chose this as our last stop for my birthday week. For lunch, other than their a la carte menu, they also do a value-for-money Business Set Lunch (RM75 for 2-courses and RM92 for 3-courses) or Rush Hour 2-course express set lunch for RM70. The set lunch menu changes every 2 weeks.

Originally, I wanted to order my favorite Master Kobe oyster blade steak from their a la carte but I was swayed by the choices on the Business Set Lunch. So, set lunch it is this time.

Fantastic complimentary bread to start with 3 types of butter

The restaurant was very busy during lunch time, but we still managed to get a table in one of the private booths in the restaurant. To start, I ordered the Tian of Apple and Celery, Jumbo Crab with Coriander Lemon Prawn with Guacamole, Cress Mix and Crispy Tuile. Firstly, love the exquisite presentation of this dish. A light and appetizing dish, love the combination of flavours and textures. I enjoyed eating this very much too. And yup, no crab shells this time ;)

Hubby chose the Truffle Scented Coddle Egg, Grilled Brioche and Rocket Salad Lemon Dressing.

For mains, there was a choice of either salmon, beef rump stew or tenderloin steak. Obviously, we both went for the steak - an 8oz Charcoal Grilled Beef Mignon, served with Beef Cheek Croquette, Crusted Vegetables Tian and Truffle Jus. One arrived slightly charred on the outside... well, how did they know that was how my Hubby likes his steak? The perks of being a regular..... or just lucky. LOL! The steaks were cooked to a beautiful medium, very very juicy and delicious indeed.

And then, the waitresses appeared with balloons and a birthday platter and also sang "Happy Birthday". What a lovely, wonderful surprise. Hubby has secretly arranged for "Happy Birthday" to be written on my dessert but kudos to the team for making the extra effort.

Fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream - Hubby's dessert

Complimentary birthday slice for moi, the birthday girl

Thank you Hubby for the birthday treat once again!

Pork-free.

Opening times: Monday to Friday: 12.00pm to 2.30pm (Lunch); Monday to Sunday: 6.30pm to 11.00pm (Dinner)

Service: Excellent.

Price: RM75 for 2-courses and RM92 for 3-courses. No SPG discounts for set lunch.

Location: Prime Steak Restaurant, 5th Floor, Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur, 2 Jalan Stesen Sentral, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.


Tel: 03- 2263 7555

GPS Coordinates: 3.135685, 101.686524

Website: http://www.lemeridiendining.com.my

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PSA: Bintang The Bear Charity Campaign with Starwood KL Hotels

Starwood Hotels in Kuala Lumpur are teaming up in a joint effort to raise funds to financially support local children born with congenital heart defects. The initiative first mooted by Lé Meridien Kuala Lumpur saw great success in its first year in 2013. This year, four Starwood hotels in KL, Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur and Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur will coordinate efforts to raise funds for this worthy cause this Christmas.

Founded in 1996, ‘A heart for a heart’ charity programme was set up by Gleneagles Hospital to help children with critical congenital heart defects, who needed urgent financial aid due to limited financial means, and undergo corrective surgery at the Gleneagles Cardiac centre. This also enables children in critical condition from being on the waiting list.

Each hotel is selling “Bintang” the Bear soft toys, priced at RM50 each. The bears all feature four distinctive T-shirt designs reflecting the unique characteristics of the four brands and hotels. All proceeds from our “Bintang the Bear” Christmas Charity effort will be channeled to Gleneagles Hospital.

To learn more about the “Bintang the Bear” Christmas charity campaign, please approach the hotel associates at the respective hotels’ front desks or call the hotels directly at:

· Aloft Kuala Lumpur Sentral: +603 2723 1188
· Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur: +603 2263 7888
· Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur: +603 2717 9900
· The Westin Kuala Lumpur: +603 2731 8333




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Recipe: Korean-style Marinated Steak with Grilled Scallions (Bobby Flay)

We're cooking Bobby's Flay recipes for "Cook Like a Star" event the whole of this month, so I have been browsing his recipes online. I found a couple of good steak recipes to try, and one of them is this Korean-style marinated steak with grilled scallions.

In his recipe, Bobby Flay uses skirt steak but I substituted with striploin steak since this is more readily available over here in KL. A Korean commented on this recipe that the marinade tastes pretty authentic, which gives me the confidence to try it. The steak is simply marinated for 30 minutes, then grilled to medium rare. Bobby serves his with some grilled scallions and tortilla wraps, but I omitted the wraps since this would be plenty for lunch.

The steak has a distinctive Asian flavour to it, and it does remind me of eating kalbi (Korean-style beef ribs). I would however increase the brown sugar in future, as the one I had before in the Korean restaurant is slightly sweeter. Overall, a good, simple recipe to try and makes a nice change, however my favorite way of eating steak is still naked with some good sea salt.

Grilled to medium rare perfection, I have to say! :)

Scallions (spring onions) from our garden for this dish!

Let me snap some photos of mummy's steak too!

Korean-style marinated steak with grilled scallions
Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Bobby Flay
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 1-2

Ingredients
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sake
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 scallions, white part only, minced
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
300g striploin steak (1" thick), trimmed and cut into 4 portions
1 tbsp cooking oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To garnish
2-3 whole scallions, cleaned


1. Combine sugar, soy sauce, sake, garlic, scallions, ginger and sesame oil in a bowl or flat dish. Add the steak and coat well and leave to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once.

2. Preheat grill or grill pan. Brush off the scallions, ginger and garlic from the steaks (as it will burn easily on the grill) and place the steak on the grill. Grill for 2 minutes each side for medium rare.

3. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes, before slicing thinly against the grain. Season with more salt and pepper as necessary.

4. Meanwhile, place the spring onions in the pan and grill for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour in the remaining marinade into the pan to thicken into a sauce for dipping.

Note: I will increase sugar to 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp the next time I make it.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Bobby Flay" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Grace of Life Can Be Simple. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Bobby Flay websites or cookbooks for the whole month of November 2014.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in November 2014 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Grace of Life Can Be Simple and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

New Lunch and Dinner Menu @ Beast by BIG, Intermark KL

Earlier this week, I was invited to BEAST by The BIG Group for The BIG Feast week as well as the launch of their new lunch and dinner menu. BEAST is located at Intermark Mall and is well-known for their steaks as well traditional dishes with a dramatic flair.

The set lunch menu is no more, and is replaced by a new lunch menu with deluxe a la carte selections such as lobster pappardelle and pan seared grass-fed tenderloin. There are also brand new additions to the dinner menu, such as roasted miso cod and 6-hour sous vide grilled rack of lamb. You can find the menus for BEAST here.

Let's begin with the starters...

The hot smoked salmon salad (RM38) definitely wowed us. The dish arrived at the table with a glass dome, complete with smoke and all. Not only did it look good on the plate, it was very tasty too -loved the salad with tangy Korean dressing and fresh salmon roe.

Escargot Wrapped in Flaky Puff Pastry with Buttery Parsley Sauce (RM35)

The miso dressed portobello mushroom salad (RM28) may be a vegetarian dish, but I can assure you that even meat lovers will dig this. My favorite dish of the afternoon - love the meaty textures of portobellos and the earthy miso flavour.

Roasted cauliflower soup (RM18) - creamy and velvety with chunks of cauliflowers. A great soup!

Thinly sliced beef carpaccio with arugula salad (RM32) - light and fresh!

Spicy calamansi beer battered calamari salad (RM22) - light and crispy batter, sure wouldn't mind eating a whole bowl of 'em!

The main event...

Truffle mac 'n' cheese (RM38) - this is so decadent and yummy! Baked with a medley of cheeses (Parmesan, mozzarella, Gruyere, Brie & Cheddar) and topped with truffle oil and truffle paste. Oh-la-la. 

Pan seared grass fed tenderloin (RM78), served with mashed potatoes, shallot confit and bone marrow gravy.

Half-a-lobster pappardelle (RM168) in a robust lobster bisque reduction - yet another rich, luxurious dish.

Quarter roasted beer brined chicken (RM48), served with brussel sprouts and duck fat roasted potatoes.

6-hours sous vide grilled rack of lamb (RM98), served with baked eggplant caviar, pearl barley and wild rice salad. Succulent, tender lamb!

Roasted miso cod (RM98), delicious flaky fish served with creamy, thick pumpkin cream. 

I still have room for desserts, so here goes...

Tangy Passion Fruit & Mango Trifle with Tropical Accents (RM25) - lots of lovely textures going on in this dessert and I love the addition of tangy passion fruit. Makes this a really refreshing dessert.

Dark Chocolate Fondant Filled with Peanut Butter (RM25) - peanut butter and chocolate, need I say more? (PS CK, I think you will love this).

The Beasty Tiramisu (RM35), an interesting take on tiramisu

Pavlova with fresh seasonal fruits (RM25) - definitely unique as it showcases some of our local fruits such as mangosteen, jackfruit and rambutan.

And thank you for the cute chocolate moustache! #movember

Opening times: Mon-Fri 12.00pm - 2.30pm; Mon-Thu 5.00-11.30pm; Fri-Sat 5.00-12.30am. Closed on Sundays.

Pork-free.

Location: BEAST by BIG, Lot G-01, Ground Floor, The Intermark, 182 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +603 2163 5732

Website: www.thebiggroup.co

GPS Coordinates: 3.161620, 101.719670

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