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??
~~

Blue Cheese in French Bleu - Gorgonzola & Walnut Souffle

As shown in the previous recipe, regarding the Bell Pepper Tart, though French White/Bisque/Bleu and Classic Black are AWESOME in the oven, sometimes it just takes a Cornflower to bring it all together.

This time, however, it's not just the P-2 1/2-B saucepan assisting in the quest for deliciousness, but a P-35-B Broil and Bake Tray with a couple of Grab-Its (P-150-B) thrown in for good measure.  Though this may seem like a Dream Team of CorningWare, one more player must be added.   There are still 7 egg whites that need to be whipped to stiff peaks, so a rather large bowl is necessary...  Copper aside, I can think of no better Egg White whipping receptacle than a 444 or 404 Pyrex 4 quart Opal Bowl.

Sometimes you just gotta get by with a little help from your friends.

Gorgonzola and Walnut Souffle

3 TB unsalted Butter, plus a little more for the souffle dish
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, plus more for the souffle dish
4 large Eggs, Separated
3 large Egg Whites, in addition to the 4 above (Save the yolks for making Lemon Curd)
1 cups Whole Milk
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
5 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled
1/4 cup finely chopped Walnuts

Corning Ware 1.5 liter (1 1/2 quart) French White/Bisque/Bleu or Classic Black Souffle Dish (F-5-B)
Corning Ware 2 1/2 quart Saucepan (P-2 1/2-B) or 3 quart (A-3-B)
Pyrex 4 quart Opal Bowl (444 or 404)
optional - 2 Grab-it Bowls (P-150-B)
optional - 1 Corningware 4 oz Ramekin (no model number) or F-16-B Ramekin (though a little big)
optional - Corning Ware Broil and Bake Tray (P-35-B)

Begin by buttering the Souffle dish and coating it with flour, then place in the refrigerator while you prepare the actual souffle.

Separate the first 4 Eggs, placing the Yolks in one of the Grab-its (P-150-B) and the Whites in another (P-150-B), then separate the remaining 3 Eggs, placing the Yolks in a separate 4 oz Ramekin for later use, and adding the 3 Whites to the 4 Whites already in the P-150-B Grab-it Bowl (you should have 4 Yolks and 7 Whites)

Cover the Whites and set them aside for later and cover the 3 Egg Yolks in the 4 oz Ramekin with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for later use. (There is Lemon Curd in the future)

Lightly beat the 4 Egg Yolks in the P-150-B with a fork and set aside.

Place the P-2 1/2-B Saucepan over medium flame and add the 3 TB unsalted Butter.

Once it has melted and begun to foam, add the Flour and begin whisking, cooking for 1 minute.

Whisk in the Whole Milk.

Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then continue cooking for 1 minute.

Remove the P-2 1/2-B from the flame and stir in the Salt and Pepper.

Take a spoonful of the sauce and whisk it into the Yolks to condition them.

Add the conditioned Yolks to the sauce and whisk to combine.

Add the crumbled Gorgonzola and the chopped Walnuts, stirring to combine, then set aside.

Pour the Egg Whites into a clean 4 quart Pyrex Bowl (444 or 404) and add the Cream of Tarter.

Whisk the Egg Whites until they form stiff peaks.

Add 1/3 of the Whites to the sauce mixture in the P-2 1/2-B and stir them in to lighten the sauce.

Pour the lightened sauce mixture into the Pyrex Bowl (444 or 404) containing the remaining whipped Whites.

Fold everything together until homogeneous and no streaks of Egg White are left.

Remove the prepared Souffle dish (F-5-B) from the refrigerator and pour the "Batter" into the dish.

optional - Place the Souffle dish (F-5-B) on a Broil and Bake Tray (P-35-B) just to make sure there are no spills and to prevent the bottom from over browning.

Place the P-35-B in the preheated oven on the bottom rack and bake for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately. (Souffle always begin to sink after the first 3 minutes out of the oven so speed of serving is crucial)

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??
~~

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??
~~

Happiness is a Warm Bottom - French White/Bleu/Bisque and Classic Black F2MWCR Cradle

Well, after my original post on French White Cradles, and the fact that I had to snitch pictures from an eBay listing, I began searching for this elusive F Series cradle.  It has taken a little time, and a little luck, but I finally succeeded in finding one.

Behold!!!!!   The F2MWCR....  (cue theme from "2001: a space odyssey")

In English?  The French White/Bleu/Bisque & possibly Classic Black 2 1/2 quart (2.8 Liter) Deep Oval Casserole Microwaveable Warming Cradle.  Whew!   I think I will stick with the F2MWCR. It's faster to say... and type.

It is entirely made of plastic, save for the Granite insert in the center.  It's made in China, so it was from the time when "Crown Corning" started importing accessories.  It still looks a lot like one of those "As Seen On TV" gizmos to me.

The back side has the Microwaving instructions.  

• 600 - 900W                       = 2 1/2 - 4 minutes
• 1000-1500W                    = 1 1/2 - 3 minutes
• Commercial Microwave = 1 - 1 1/2 minutes (scared of that)

Evidently, the Granite piece absorbs microwave energy and heats up, thus warming the bottom of your dish warm, hence keeping the casserole, held within, piping hot while serving.  Probably a little safer than the previous candle warmers had been.

I tried multiple pieces, but it really is designed specifically for the F-2 Casserole; none of my others fit into it.

My assumption is that this was originally available as a set with a French White F-2 because of the era it was made, but it's possible it was still available with French Bleu and French Bisque.  I do not, however, believe this product was available after the late 80s, meaning that it predates the Classic Black (1990).  Though I am not completely certain of that.  Then again, this was an add-on and could only be purchased separately, since I have never seen a box.

Where is your Corningware Cradle??
~~