SWNOVELXO Chapter 75.2
An Easy Lazy Bread Gratin With Leftover Bread
In Yuuri’s opinion, a proper bread gratin uses a sauce, not soup, so this was just a makeshift version. Frau’s apparent delight was because she secretly loved cheese. She always picked cheese as a snack with her drinks, and despite not being much of a meat eater, she devoured the cheese cutlets Yuuri made one time. So, it was no surprise that the cheese-heavy bread gratin was to her liking.
When Frau tried to eat with a fork, Yuuri suggested using a spoon. Since the baguette was cut into bite-sized pieces, it could easily be eaten with a spoon, and it was more suited for scooping up the melted cheese and soup together. Frau accepted the spoon without hesitation after hearing that.
She dipped the spoon into the edge of the hot dish, scooping from the bottom to get the bread, along with some cheese and soup. With steam still rising from it, indicating it was hot, she blew on it to cool it down before bringing it to her mouth. The fluffy bread, soaked with soup, combined with the melted cheese, spread flavor throughout her mouth. The sweetness of the corn potage, which lingered on the spoon, gently complemented the taste.
The saltiness of the cheese, the sweetness of the corn potage, and the soft texture of the fluffy bread worked together. It wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy but rather gradually satisfying. The generous amount of cheese also made it more filling than it seemed.
“This is delicious.”
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Just the fact that it has this much cheese makes it clear it was made for me.”
“That is true.”
Yuuri smiled lightly. While it was true that he had wanted to make this easy, lazy gratin-like dish using soup, he had also chosen it because Frau was his dining partner today. If it had been the perpetually hungry group of kids, it wouldn’t have been enough, and he imagined Ali or Brooke would’ve reacted with indifference. They wouldn’t say it was bad, but it probably wouldn’t be satisfying for them.
If it had been Tifaana or Jake, the large amount of cheese might have caused stomach discomfort. While no one complained outright, everyone had their preferences, and Yuuri had a good sense of them. He had never directly asked anyone what their favorite foods were. While he was aware of things they couldn’t eat (whether due to dislikes or dietary restrictions), he hadn’t paid much attention to their favorite dishes. …The main reason for this was that no matter what he made, all he ever got was, “It’s delicious!” It seemed that having a high level of cooking skill placed a bit of a bias on feedback. Unintentionally intimidating, really.
“It’s great while it’s hot, but you have to be careful not to burn yourself.”
“Indeed. With this much cheese, it seems like it would lose half its appeal once it cools down.”
“If Lelei were here, I bet she’d struggle since she’s got a cat’s tongue.”
“That’s true.”
Yuuri and Frau shared a laugh. Lelei, whose father was a cat beastman, had inherited his physical abilities and quirks. One of those quirks was that she couldn’t handle hot food very well. Though she loved delicious food, she couldn’t eat anything that was too hot. When grabbing food from the communal dishes, she always made sure to take extra so she could wait for it to cool before eating. …Since everyone knew Lelei had a cat’s tongue, they didn’t mind if she took extra for her first serving, though they would call her out if she overdid it. Meal times at the hideout were often a bit of a survival game.
As Yuuri enjoyed the sight of the cheese stretching and melting, he finished his lazy version of a bread gratin. He thought that maybe next time, he’d try making a proper gratin. To do that, he’d need to start with making a proper white sauce. If he planned it from the start, it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Today’s dish was just the result of improvising with leftovers in front of him.
The sweetness of the corn potage was perfect for the dish. It was nice that the soup and cheese together made the flavors come together without needing much extra seasoning. This helped avoid unnecessary salt, which Yuuri appreciated. But really, as long as it tasted good, that was all that mattered.
Incidentally, ten-year-old Arora, who was secretly a cheese lover, begged Yuuri to make the dish as a snack after overhearing the conversation.