A Baker's Dozen - My P-Series Cornflower Collection (Part 3)

It's time for the bake ware portion of my collection...  There is a lot of it because it's what I like to do best.

The P-315 Bread Pan and the P-332 (2 quart) Baker. (Though this could be considered a small roasting pan as well)  Sadly, the plastic lid on the bread pan is the victim of age...  and being kept in the box for a very long time... 

Then there are my baking "sheets" the P-35-B broil and bake trays (Shown in both the original and modified design)   I only have these 2, but I would like to have a couple more.  I would also like more than one of the P-35-M cradles... 

Then, the Pièce de résistance of my Corning Ware bake ware collection... the P-321 and P-322 Cakes Pans and P-309 Pie plates.

I know it looks like "hoarding", but I assure you it's not.  I discovered a while back that it breaks the fundamental laws of the universe when a German's Chocolate Cake has anything less than 3 layers; thus, three P-321s were an absolute necessity to ensure the Cosmos remains intact.  Besides, this family LOVES German's Chocolate Cake.  I would like to have another P-322 "Utility" pan (Square Cake/Brownie Pan), but it is not as much of a necessity as the round ones were.  I can still make Blondies and Brownies at the same time... So it's ALL kinds of good.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

Pretty Pansies for Auntie Patsy - Secret Summer Blush Collection (with extras)

I don't really know if this counts as a "My Collection" post or "My Collection Monday" post.  Technically it is still in my possession, so I guess for all intensive purposes, it is my collection at this point.

You see, I have been secretly amassing a collection of Summer Blush, to give to my Aunt Patsy, cause she loves pansies.  (Though after she sees this post, it won't be much of a secret anymore)  LOL

I will admit I have had to throw in a couple of "Just White" pieces in to round out the set.  Electromatic Skillets were discontinued in 1976, so they are not available with a Summer Blush Skillet since the pattern wasn't released until 20 years later in 1996.

A-1.5-B with A-7-C lid sitting in an A-2-B with A-9-C lid.

A-1-B with A-7-C lid sitting on a second A-2-B with A-9-C lid sitting on an A-5-B with A-5-C lid.

M-10-GR Grill Pan (I need to find her an A-10-HG handle for this one)

This is actually a Cookmates Skillet (10 inch) with a P-12-C lid on the original P-12-ES Electromatic Hot Plate.

It's almost a complete set of Summer Blush, though I am still watching for an A-3-B and an A-21-B-N Roaster... I am also thinking that I should probably find her another A-1-B (you can never have too many 1 quart saucepans). 

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

PacNW Fusion, by Corning - Salmon Fettuccine in Bell Pepper Cream

Here in the Northwest, we pride ourselves on our somewhat distinctive cuisine.  Though maybe not as flamboyant as our neighbor to the south, we have a few special things that are quintessentially Pacific NW in nature.  Hazelnuts & Wild Salmon (not that farm raised Atlantic stuff) usually top the list, followed closely by bramble berries (Marion, Olallie, Tay & Logan berries) and Wild Huckleberries.  Tender Red Skinned Potatoes, Kale, Nettles and a veritable pantheon of wild Mushrooms varieties round out the list. All of these ingredients work well when fused with traditional dishes from all over the world, to give them a new spin.  Suffice it to say, California isn't the "be all, end all" of Fusion Cuisine; we got a few tricks under our somewhat soggy hats in the Great North Wet.

Thus, armed with a host of CorningWare skillets and a 1 1/2 pint Menu-ette, I felt it was time to give good old Fettuccine a Pacific Northwest upgrade.

Salmon Fettuccine with Bell Pepper Cream

2 Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers
4 oz Hazelnuts
1 cup Heavy Cream
4 TB unsalted Butter
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Zest of 2 Lemons
1 1/2 TB fresh Lemon Thyme (regular Thyme isn't as zippy as Lemon Thyme)
White Pepper
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
8 oz King Salmon (Coho will work too)
1/2 tsp dried Dill Weed
16 oz Fettuccine
1 tsp fresh Tarragon, chopped

Corning Ware 7 inch Skillet (P-7-B)
CorningWare 9 inch Skillet (P-9-B) with lid (P-9-C)
Corningware 10 inch Skillet (P-10-B) with lid (P-10-C)
Corning Ware 2 1/2 cup Menu-ette pan (P-82-B)
a pot large enough to boil water to cook the pasta (I did not have my 5 quart Rangetopper 'N-5-B' pot yet, so I used my huge stainless steel pot... and I am ashamed)   LOL

Start the Broiler..... and place the Yellow Bell Peppers in your P-10-B skillet.

When the broiler is hot, place the P-10-B skillet 6 inches away from the element and roast the peppers.

Turn them every 5 minutes, until they are blackened all over.

Remove the P-10-B skillet from underneath the broiler and place the lid (P-10-C) over the dish and let sit for 10 minutes. (The residual steam from the peppers will loosen the skin)

Turn the broiler off, and set the oven temperature to 350F degrees and toss the Hazelnuts into the P-7-B skillet. (4 oz is just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet)

When the oven is up to temperature (which should not take that long after the broiler has been on) place the P-7-B skillet containing the Hazelnuts on the middle rack of the oven and toast for about 8-10 minutes,

shaking the pan occasionally, until they are toasty brown.

Pour the Hazelnuts from the pan into a towel and rub.

This will remove some, though not all, of the bitter chaff from the Hazelnuts...  Chop them, and set them aside to cool.

The Bell Peppers should be cool enough for peeling at this point, so remove them from the P-10-B skillet and peel the blackened skin from the peppers with a sharp knife.

Pop out the stems, along with the seeds (they should pop out fairly easily)

Mince the Roasted Bell Peppers and set aside.

Place the P-82-B Menu-ette Saucepan over medium-low flame and add the Heavy Cream and the Butter.

When the Butter has melted, add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir.

Add the Lemon Zest and stir again.

Once the Parmigiano-Reggiano has melted, add the minced Bell Pepper and stir again to combine.

Reduce the flame to Low, season with Lemon Thyme and White Pepper.

In the P-9-B skillet pour the Water and the White Wine, then place the skillet over medium flame.

Add the Salmon Fillet and sprinkle with dried Dill Weed.

Cover with the P-9-C lid and let the salmon poach for 6-7 minutes.

Remove the P-9-B skillet from the flame and move the Salmon from the skillet to a board to cool. (hopefully the skin will remain in the skillet)

Wash the P-9-B skillet.

Place a large pot of salted water over high flame and bring to a boil.

Drop the Fettuccine into the boiling water and cook for about 11-14 minutes (follow the instructions on the package)

While the Pasta is cooking, flake the salmon up with a fork.

Place the Salmon back in the clean P-9-B skillet and place over Medium-Low flame.

Pour the warm Bell Pepper Cream sauce from the P-82-B into the P-9-B and stir gently to combine.

Give it a shot (3 TB) of white wine and stir until everything is heated through, then reduce the flame to low and keep warm.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and place in a large bowl.

Pour the Salmon/Bell Pepper Cream sauce over the pasta.

Add the toasted & chopped Hazelnuts and toss everything together.

Sprinkle with freshly chopped Tarragon leaves and serve.

Heaven on a plate!

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

I Got Some Mad Skill...ets - My P-Series Cornflower Collection (Part 2)

Well, last night's dinner was responsible for this collection post.  It was a tour de force in skillet usage. Thus, I decided since I had half of my skillets out on the stove or in the oven already, it would be fitting to make "Skillets" Part 2 of my P-series Cornflower Collection.  And quite the Skillet Stockpile it is...  

Top - P-7-B with P-7-C lid (7 inch) sitting in a P-9-B with P-9-C lid (9 inch) sitting on the P-10-B with P-10-C lid (10 inch) sitting on the P-16-B with P-12-C lid (11 inch). 

I do have 5 other skillets in Cornflower, but they are technically not part of the P-Series.  One is an A-series Electromatic Skillet pan (A-22) so I will save that one when I cover the Electromatic Skillets;  2 are Rangetoppers which are N-Series so those will have to wait.  The other two, however, I will go ahead add.... because there really don't have any place else to be.

My 1st and 2nd Generation 10 inch skillets with the Pyroceram lids. (they are really 9 7/8 inches, so the P-10-C lids will not fit them, conversely their Pyroceram lids don't fit on the P-10-B either)

The top one is the 1st Generation (1958/59) with the embossed information on the bottom in the center stating "Corning Pyroceram  Made in the U.S.A". 

The one on the bottom is the 2nd Generation (1959/60) with the fuzzy blue print on the bottom stating '10 IN" Corning Ware Pyroceram Made in the U.S.A'.

Neither of these pieces have model numbers, since model numbers didn't exist yet, (the B-38 on the 1st Gen piece is a mold number, not a model number).  Even though these pieces are model number-less, the P-series detachable handles fit on their lugs, so for all intensive purposes, these are P-series as well.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Steamy! - The Arcoflam "Nouveau" Steamer Insert

This site is technically about Corning Ware and it's use and care, however, every once in awhile something comes along outside of the sphere of the Corning world that begs to be made known.  Thus is the case with my post on Princess House Nouveau pieces by ARC (Arcoflam).  Tough in truth, they may or may not actually be Corning Ware under a different name.  This still remains unclear.  But the piece that I recently found is most definitely clear and though made by ARC and not Corning, Inc. it has the advantage of functioning with some Corning Ware pieces.  Thus I introduce to you.....

The Acroflam (Nouveau) glass Steamer Insert.

I already have the Microwave Plus steamer (M-225) with the accompanying plastic steamer basket, but in all honesty, I use that as a display piece.  It's not just because I don't cook food in the Nuke-U-Lator...  cause the whole thing is stove top safe as well.  I would never cook my food in plastic.  It sort of defeats the purpose of using Corning Ware in the first place.

Originally designed, I believe, to fit the 2 3/4 saucepan or the 8 inch skillet (neither of which are in my possession, as of yet)  from the Princess House Nouveau line of cookware.  The best part, honestly, is that this steamer assures that your food never touches metal or plastic.  It's made of Boro-Silicate glass, just like the original Pyrex formula.  (World Kitchen now makes tempered Soda lime glass under the Pyrex name)

The lid for these is marked with "France" and "20cm", that is all.  The knob on the lid is plastic, which is kind of a bummer, but it assures that there is something cool to grab a hold of when the steaming is done.

The current models, cause they still make them for the "Pyroflam" sold on the European market, have a arched glass handle....

I like this design a little better, but truthfully... If it's a choice between $4.99 as the Good Will or $55 + shipping off eBay... I'll deal with a plastic handle.

Now you may be asking yourself, "What good is this steamer if you don't have Princess House Nouveau pieces?"   Well let me tell ya....  I have a couple pieces of Nouveau, and I would like to get a couple more, BUT, I have discovered that this steamer fits on several pieces of vintage Corning Ware.  I was more than just a little excited about that.  Let's begin with the French... after all, this piece was made in France, so I think it's only fitting.

It will work on the F-8-B, which is the French White 8 inch Quiche baker.  Sadly, the 8-inch size was released well after the Bisque and Bleu era and wasn't included in the Classic Black line up, so it's only available in the basic French White.

It will also fit on the F-1-B, being the French White 2 1/2 quart Souffle baker.  This piece IS available in Bisque as well as Bleu, however, this size was not included in the Classic Black.

So if you are looking for an excuse to utilize your French White on the stove top, this steamer gives you an excellent opportunity to try it's chops.

The final piece, that I have found to work with the steamer, is the N-2 1/2-B or 2 1/2 quart "Rangetopper".  (these are the pieces with the Aluminum applied to the bottom or embedded within the bottom)

I am not sure if it works with the 2 1/2 quart saucepan from the S-series "Range top" line. (these are shaped exactly like Visions cookware and do not have aluminum bottoms)  I do not own any of these pieces because they were released well after the Wheat pattern was discontinued and I have yet to see one in Cornflower.  I am pretty sure I never will, simply because they were released in the late 80s and I believe Cornflower and Spice of Life had been discontinued.  They are, however, available in Peony, Shadow Iris, Peach Floral & Country Cornflower... at least, those are the ones I have seen.

And there you have it, a lovely cross-pollination of Arcoflam and Corning Ware, working together to create a delicious meal.

I love this stuff.... 

Where is your Corning Ware/Arcoflam??
~~

Update:  4/29/2014 - I dug through a box in the garage and resurrected that Microwave Plus Steamer..   The Princess House Arcoflam Steamer fits perfectly in the M-225.... Almost like they were made for each other. 

I am quite pleased... Needless to say, the M-225 isn't going back into the box in the garage...  though the other parts will remain there in.