Looks Like Fine Crockery... Acts Like Corning Ware - French Bisque Collection Complete

It was April of last year when I first posted pictures of my French Bisque set.   I had originally thought the set was complete, until I discovered there were F-16 ramekins as well.   Evidently, these were sold with larger sets of the pattern.    It has taken almost a year, but I FINALLY got my hands on some...  Thanks to a friend in one of the Corning Ware groups on Facebook and a little help from Classic Kitchens & More....  

Finally, after all these years...  the entire French Bisque collection is ready for a family portrait.

So here is the breakdown of French Bisque, produced from 1982-1985 and sporting the original Pyrex Fireside tinted lids. (OK, 1 lid that is not original)

Top to Bottom:  F-5-B (G-5-C lid) - 1 1/5 quart Souffle, F-1-B (G-1-C lid) - 2 1/2 quart Souffle, F-3-B - 10 inch Quiche

Top to Bottom:  F-16 - 16 oz Ramekins, F-21 - 4.5 liter Open Roaster

Top to Bottom:  F-12-B (F-12-C lid) - 1 1/2 quart Casserole, F-4-B - 2 1/2 quart Open Roaster (The F-14-C lid is not original to the piece)

Top to Bottom:  F-6-B - 1 1/2 quart Open Roaster, F-2-B (DC-1 1/2-C lid) - 2 1/2 quart Casserole

(The DC-1 1/2-C lid will also fit on the F-6-B roaster if needed)

And there you have it ALL 8 pieces of the French Bisque Collection..  Why there were substantially more pieces made in the French Bisque pattern than there were of either the French Bleu or the Classic Black is anybody's guess.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

I Got The "Bleu"s - French Bleu Collection Complete

French Bleu is fairly hard to come by, as it was only produced from the fall of 1983 to fall of 1984 (basically 1 year), so my collection has been growing somewhat sporadically.  For years, all I had was the 10 inch (24cm) Quiche dish that I purchased off eBay.  I was actually about to give up on ever seeing another piece, because that seemed to be the ONLY piece ever on eBay.

Then I got lucky one day.  I had crossed the Columbia River and invaded Vancouver, WA back in December of 2013 and found both the F-5 & F-1.  A couple months later (February 2014) the F-6 showed up in Clackamas,  OR.   That is what spurred my first post about this pattern back in March of last year (2014)...   About 1 month ago, I found the final piece in Portland, OR... The 2 1/2 quart Casserole (F-2-B).

So, as with the French Bisque from yesterday, here is the "not quite so large" family of French Bleu...

Left to right...   F-5-B - 1 1/5 quart Souffle in LE-F5-R cradle, F-2-B - 2 1/2 quart Souffle in LE-F1-R cradle

F-3-B - 10 inch Quiche

Left to right....  F-2-B - 2 1/2 quart Casserole in LE-F2-R cradle, F-6-B - 1 1/2 quart Open Roaster in LE-F6-R cradle

It should be noted, that all 4 pieces I purchased were adorn with the pinwheel lids...   Though I didn't not believe they were available in the early 80s, I find it odd that all of them would come with said pinwheel lids from various thrift stores in several cities in 2 different states.

An interesting coincidence; especially since all of my Classic Black came with plain lids (1990-94)

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

More Bell Pepper Bliss in French White - Quiche de Poivron (With the Help of a P-16-B)

Corning Ware's original Pyroceram French White dishes (1978) are a boon to the baker, but as wonderful as they are to bake in, sometimes it needs a little help from some Classic Cornflower pieces.

Thus it is with this quiche.. True, you could just as easily roast the Bell Peppers in a French White F-6-B or an F-4-B, but I was trying to use as few dishes as possible.  Since the leek needs to be sauteed on the stove, I simply used my Cornflower P-16-B for both roasting the Bell Peppers under the broiler and sauteing the Leek on the stove top.  Multipurpose cookery is what Classic Corning Ware does best.

Roasted Bell Pepper Quiche

(Quiche de Poivron)

3 Bell Peppers, in multiple colors
1 Leek, sliced
2 TB Olive Oil
6 large Eggs
12 oz Creme Fraiche
Salt & Pepper
4 oz Havarti Cheese, grated
Corning Ware 11 inch Skillet (P-16-B) with lid (P-12-C)

You will also need:

1 par-baked Pate Brisee pastry crust in a 10 inch F-3-B French White Quiche dish

I am not going to cover "Pate Brisee" crust for this quiche as I have already covered my favorite tart/quiche dough a couple of times already in Quiche Lorraine and Bacon and Clam Quiche.  Feel free to use any family recipe you have that will fit the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate or quiche/tart dish.  Leave out the sugar, if your recipe contains it, and use at least 3/4 tsp salt for a savory crust.

Place the Bell Peppers (stems intact) into a P-16-B Skillet.

Place 6 inches beneath the broiler of your oven, turning every 10 minutes until the skins are blackened and blistered.

Remove the P-16-B from the oven and cover the peppers with a P-12-C lid to allow the residual heat to "steam" the skins for easier removal.

Turn off the broiler and set the oven to 325F degrees.
Peel the softened skins from the peppers, then remove the stems and the seeds.

Julienne the Peppers.

Wash the P-16-B, then place over medium flame, adding 2 TB Olive oil.
When the oil is hot, add the sliced Leek and saute for a couple minutes, just until they soften.

Remove the P-16-B from the flame and allow to cool.

Crack open the eggs and place them in a medium sized bowl

Whisk to break them up before adding the Creme Fraiche, then whisk again until well combined.

Season with Salt, Pepper and a dash of Nutmeg, then stir in 2 oz of shredded Havarti cheese.

Place sauteed Leek and julienne Bell Peppers in the bottom of the par-baked quiche crust.

Pour the Egg/Creme Fraiche/Cheese mixture over the Belle Peppers and Leeks.

Sprinkle with the remaining Havarti cheese.

Place the quiche in the oven and bake until it begins to puff slightly...  approximately 35-40 minutes. (the center should still be slightly jiggly)

Remove from the oven and allow to rest and set for 10-15 minutes before attempting to cut.

Serve while still warm, or completely cooled to room temperature.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

Bell Pepper Bliss in French Bisque - Tarte de Poivron (With the Help of a P-16-B)

I have made no bones about the fact that French White/Bisque/Bleu & Classic Black are near and dear to my heart, because they were the first pieces of Corning Ware that I bought in the early 90's.  But, French White items are pretty much strictly for baking.  Thus, one must still have "regular" vintage Corning Ware in ones kitchen to pick up the slack.

Thus it is with this recipe.  For while I might be tempted, I would never actually bake a tart or quiche in a square pan, simply because the corners would burn before the center is cooked through.  This is why pie plates, tart pans and quiche dishes are round.  Still, you need a good skillet to partially cook the filling before the tart is finished off in the oven.

Enter the P-16-B in classic Cornflower.  The perfect pan for such a delicious filling.

A note on ingredients....  I use Gruyere for this, because I like flavor a little more, however, if you would prefer a more Pizza-esque tart, feel free to use Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano or Asiago instead of the Gruyere.

I am not going to cover "Pate Brise" crust for this tart as I have already covered my favorite tart/quiche dough a couple of times already in Quiche Lorraine and Bacon and Clam Quiche.  Feel free to use any family recipe you have that will fit the bottom of a 10 inch pie plate or quiche/tart dish.  Leave out the sugar, if your recipe contains it, and use at least 3/4 tsp salt for a savory crust.

Tarte de Poivron

1 Sour Cream Crust recipe or 1/2 recipe of Standard Pate Brisee (minus the sugar)
1 Shallot, diced
1 Leek, split and sliced (white and light green parts only)
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
2 Orange Bell Peppers, seeded and chopped
4 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped (you need to keep the liquid low or the crust will be soggy)
1/2 cup (1.25 oz) Sun Dried Tomatoes (Not the oil packed kind) snipped or chopped
4 TB Olive Oil
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
just a pinch of Cinnamon
1/2 cup (2 oz) Gruyere, shredded

Corning Ware French White/Bisque/Bleu or Classic Black F-3-B Quiche/Tart Baker (24cm/10 inch)
Corning Ware 11 inch Skillet (P-16-B) or Electromatic Skillet Dish (SK-10)

Begin by seeding and chopping all the vegetables, keeping the shallots and leeks separate as they will be cooking first.

Mix, roll out and line your F-3-B with the Pate Brisee or Sour Cream Pastry crust and place in the refrigerator to relax.

Place the P-16-B over medium flame and add 4 TB Olive Oil.

When the Oil is hot, add the Shallot and Leek, sauteing until they become soft.

Add the Bell Peppers, Tomatoes and Sun Dried Tomatoes and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove the P-16-B from the flame and stir in the Oregano, Salt and Black Pepper.

Though it may seem a little odd, add just a tiny pinch of Cinnamon (about 1/16th tsp)

Stir everything to combine then pour off any "liquid" from the pan (mine came out fairly dry this time).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and allow the filling to cool while the oven is heating.
Once the oven is up to temperature and the filling has cooled slightly, remove the F-3-B from the refrigerator and pour the filling into the shell.

Place the F-3-B on the bottom rack of your preheated oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned.

Remove the F-3-B Tart Dish from the oven and sprinkle with the shredded Gruyere.

Allow the cheese to melt from the residual heat for 5 minutes before serving.

Deliciousness especially when accompanied by a Spicy Mango & Jalapeño Sausage and some sauteed Snow Peas.

Where is your CorningWare??
~~

Looks Like Fine Crockery... Acts Like Corning Ware Cookware - My French Bisque Collection

Well, I thought this collection was complete.  I was even proud of myself for tracking down 2 pieces not listed in the "books".  Those would be the F-6 (1.8 liter Shallow Open Baker) and the F-21 (4.5 liter Open Roaster).

Then while searching on eBay a couple weeks ago, for some strange reason a set of 4 "stoneware ramekins" showed up in my search list.  I looked at the picture of the bottom really closely and realized what they were......   500ml (16oz) F-16 Ramekins in FRENCH BISQUE.  WHAT?!?!?!  They had been completely miss-listed as 60ml Corning Sandstone Stoneware Bowls. (and yet they still showed up in my search list)

I thought it was a rather serendipitous opportunity...  Sadly, someone else found them as well and beat me by 50 cents when I wasn't looking.  It was a rather depressing development, but it happens.  After all, I can't spend ALL my time cruising eBay. Suffice it to say, that my once complete collection is not so complete anymore.  That's OK, I have seen them, I am now aware that they exist, and it give me something to look forward to finding in the wild.

F-2-B (2.8 liter) Deep Covered Baker (DC-1 1/2-C Pyrex Fireside Lid) sitting in the F-4-B (2.5 liter) Shallow Open Roaster

F-5-B (1.6 liter) Souffle (G-5-C Pyrex Fireside Lid) sitting on the F-1-B (2.5 liter) Souffle (G-1-C Pyrex Fireside Lid) sitting in the F-3-B (24cm) Quiche Baker 

F-12-B (1.8 liter) Deep Covered Baker (F-12-C Pyrex Fireside Lid) sitting in the F-6-B (1.8 liter) Shallow Open Baker sitting in the F-21-B (4.5 liter) 14x11 1/2 Open Roaster/Lasagne Pan.

You may have begun asking yourself.... "Where does he put all this Corning Ware?".  Luckily, with the French White/Bisque/Bleu/Classic Black line, the answer is simple.  They were resigned to stack very compactly.  This is why there are technically only 4 lids for all the pieces.  Oh, you can add lids.  The V-14-C will fit on the F-4-B if you really feel you need it.  But originally, only the deep casseroles & the Souffles came with lids... all the shallow dishes were lidless.  THUS, they can stack up like this...

and leave a very small footprint within your cupboard.

Where is your Corning Ware??

~~

I Got The "Bleu"s - My Corning Ware French Bleu Collection

Collection sharing time...!!!!  This is one in progress.  French Bleu is fairly hard to come by, as it was only produced from the fall of 1983 to fall of 1984 (basically 1 year), so my collection has been growing somewhat sporadically.

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom......  The F-5 (1.6 liter) Souffle sitting in the F-3 (24cm) Quiche Baker.

In the back, nestled in an LE-F1-R cradle is the F-1 (2.5 liter) Souffle.

And finally, the F-6 (1.8 liter) shallow baker. (technically a lidless dish, but the lid for the F-2 fits on the F-6 as well)

For years, all I had was the 10 inch (24cm) Quiche dish that I purchased off eBay.  I was actually about to give up on ever seeing another piece, because that seemed to be the ONLY piece ever on eBay.  Then I got lucky one day.  I had crossed the Columbia River and invaded Vancouver, WA.  There, I found both the F-5 & F-1.  The F-6 showed up about 2 months later.

So yeah... This set has taught me patience. 

Where is your CorningWare??
~~