comfort gratin

Morning soups are so soooooooo warming these days.

like i said, the warmth under my blanket is getting harder and harder to leave behind in the morning. but when i get waltzing around the house, its ok again =) thats the BEST thing about autumn. cool, so i dont feel tired so easily.

there was extra miso based soup from last nights udon dinner.

i added cabbage, and more beancurd pieces, some curry powder, simmered for awhile...

and we had a very warming curry cabbage stew this morning.

with grilled onigiri (rice balls)

Today i happily defrosted some ikura (salmon eggs) which we bought from Wakkanai during the summer hols.

took out a tiny portion and defrosted it in the fridge
had it with grated mountain yam to top on rice for dinner

but to our dissappointment, it was sooooooooooooooooooooooo salty and the smell was really really strong. jun gulped down the whole bowl of rice in seconds!

then we checked online and discovered, hoho we were supposed to presoak and steep in a shoyu, wine and mirin mixture before it will taste as good as what you have in the sushi restaurant!!! >.<

haha, since i didnt finish my ikura, it will be our mini experiment overnight. i m keeping my fingers crossed!@@
thank goodness this saved the day

comfort food seafood gratin

mushroom mix topped on blanched vegetables

grilled eringi mushrooms

its been a loooooooong time since i made gratin and i really enjoyed making the sauce from scratch. the first time i made white sauce, i was so amazed at how butter and flour and milk can can be so creamilicious! i used to crave chicken pie from the bakery once in a while. but now that i have my own kitchen. we have it whenever we like!=) for summer, gratin didnt come across my mind at all. so now that its getting colder, my creamy comfort food cravings kick in again.

i should try and make chicken pie the next time =)