Gratin Fail; Cast Iron Win

Got a slew of root vegetables from the winter CSA that just started on Jan 8. Tried to make a gratin, which would have beek OK, except for a few issues.

One, I had not sliced the veggies thin enough. Also, since I made the gratin in advance and cooked it from the frigde, I wound up undercooking the thing.

Two, I'd forgotten to salt the layers. Now, the layers also contained some bacon, and I salted the liquid that I added halfway through baking. It was just a touch undersalted when all was said and done. Next time I'll use my common sense and actually stick a fork in the damn thing to make sure it's done.

In other news, I seasoned the cast iron skillets I got for Christmas/My Birthday. They're still in the oven, actually. I'm not 100% sure what I will cook in them. I've got a crowd coming over for my birthday this Saturday, but we're going out to dinner. I'll have to think of something really special to break in the pans.

Home cooking

The best meals I had were those that were cooked for me by friends. The Mister is from LA, so this trip was largely to meet “family” that couldn’t make it to our wedding. Meeting new people and being welcomed into the fold made the food all that much tastier.

But the food itself was also pretty awesome. Two friends who had just returned from eloping in Hawaii had a post-wedding shindig at their house. The husband cooked a veritable feast: Meatballs, Curried potato gratin, Shepherd’s pie, short ribs and kimchee—from the local Korean place—I actually ate kimchee and liked it—and a rich, yet light, cake for dessert. It was a feast. I wish I was still there.