Dinner Tonight: Comfort Food

For me, Gratineed Chicken in Cream Sauce, is the definition of comfort food. After a cold and icy day the comfort was needed. It doesn't get much better than chicken and vegetables bathed in creme fraiche and topped with melted gruyere. Thankfully the rest of the family enjoys it also.

The kids were extra lucky tonight, we decided to make desert again. Twice in one week?!? Not a usual occurrence here. Last winter I heard Nigella Lawson interviewed on NPR about easy to make winter comfort food. When she talked about this cake-pudding hybrid with pears I was intrigued. I originally found the recipe on NPR's website and we made it a few times last winter. It is extremely easy to put together and I always have most of the ingredients on hand. It comes out of the oven looking, almost, like a pan of brownies with a nice crisp top. When you cut into it, it is cakey in some places, but around the pears it is like fudgey pudding. Nigella suggests serving it with chocolate sauce. I make whipped cream, for it has enough chocolate flavor already.

Yum, yum, yum! Dinner and desert were surely decadent. Here's hoping the Y is open tomorrow!