How Corningware Saved Thanksgiving - Cauliflower and Chestnut au Gratin

OK, so I have a confession to make.  Well, it's more about a family member than about me.  My mother HATES Blue Cornflower.  Oh, she LOVES Corning Ware, but hates that flower. 

She received it for her wedding back int he 60s and used it ALL while I was growing up.  I suppose after staring at it for 40 years, I can understand why she would not particularly care to look at it anymore.  The bonus to this tale is that, as of 5 years ago, *I* have her wedding Corning Ware and she has a new pattern... Shadow Iris.

Flash to the Thanksgiving day table (5 years later) and honestly, neither pattern works with mom's dinner service.... which is Furnival's Quail in brown.   But never fear!  Corning Ware French White II to the Rescue!

My French White II came in very handy this year, since I was suppose to make the Cauliflower and Chestnut au Gratin, and my P-21 Cornflower 13x9 roaster was banned from the table.  My F-21 roaster, which is my "it matches everything" dish, is the newer "21-N" model with the modified dimensions of 10 1/2 x 14 1/4, so it's a little too big (4.5 liter).  The ratio of crusty goodness and cheesy cauliflower is thrown off when you use to big of a pan cause there isn't enough bread crumb to properly cover the top.  I probably could have gotten away with the 2.8 liter (F-2), but it's only 8 1/2 x 11 so you end up with to thick of a crusty topping.   The point is, the recipe is designed for a 13x9 pan, and the original Everyday Gourmet French White pieces of the F-series have weird dimensions.  Sadly, I do not own a W-21... at least not yet.  I probably could have gotten away with a Wheat Design in Brown.  (sigh)  Some day.

That is why I am SO thankful that I have that weirdly shaped French White II at my disposal this year.  It really came through in a pinch.  It goes with everything, just like the original French White, but has the same dimensions as the P-21 & A-21 (13x9).

Ya know what?  Even though the Cornflower was banned from the table, that didn't mean that I could not use it in the cooking process.

That way Cornflower could be there in spirit.   :-)

Cauliflower & Chestnut au Gratin

1 3/4 lb Cauliflower florets, cut into bite sized pieces (or combination of Purple, Green or Orange Cauliflower)
12 Roasted Chestnuts, chopped
4 cups Heavy Cream
2.6 oz (3/4 cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
1/2 tsp Thyme, chopped
8 oz  fresh French baguette, torn into 2-inch pieces
2 TB Thyme leaves, chopped
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped
3 TB Chives, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
~1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
~3/4 tsp Black Pepper
4 oz (1/2 cup) (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, melted
~1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
~1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Corningware French White II 3 quart Casserole (13x9) or other Corningware "13x9" such as P-21-B or A-21-B but not A-21-B-N (it has the same dimensions as the French White F-21 and it's too big)
4 quart Dutch Oven (P-84-B)
1 pint Menuette saucepan (P-89-B) with lid (P-81-C)
~optional - Pyrex 4 Quart Cinderella Bowl (#444) or other large bowl

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and disassemble the cauliflower head into bite sized pieces...

In your 4 quart Dutch Oven (P-84-B), combine Cauliflower, Chestnuts, and Heavy Cream.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat;

Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer until Cauliflower is tender. (about 10 to 12 minutes)

Remove cauliflower and chestnuts from cream with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. (I just put it in the 3 Quart Casserole Dish)

Add shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano and Thyme to the Cream and bring to a boil over medium flame.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until cream sauce reduces by half and thickens slightly, stirring occasionally. (about 15-20 minutes)

Meanwhile, it's time to make the bread crumb topping......

Tear the baguette into 2 inch pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor long with the Thyme, Chives, Lemon Zest, Garlic, Salt, and Pepper;

Process again, briefly...

Then add the Parsley and give it another blitz or two.

Pour the resulting herbed bread crumbs into a 4 quart Pyrex bowl (#444) and set aside.

Melt the Butter in a 1 1/2 pint Menuette saucepan (P-89-B) over low flame.

If it begins to sputter, cover with the lid (P-81-C)

When melted, drizzle the Butter over the herbed breadcrumbs and toss with a fork until the crumbs and herbs are evenly coated; set aside.

When the sauce is ready.....
Return cauliflower to Parmigiano-Reggiano Cream mixture and stir to coat well, then season with Salt and Pepper.

Spoon Cauliflower mixture evenly into your French White II 3 quart baking dish (or P-21/A-21) 9 x 13 baking dish.

Sprinkle evenly with the Breadcrumb mixture.

Move the baking dish to the oven and bake until topping is golden and sauce is bubbling. (about 4 to 5 minutes)

Serve warm. (Trust me, it doesn't really have a chance to get cold)

Where is your Corning Ware!!
~~

Freaky French White Fenomenon Finally Figured Out - French White II?

A while ago I posted about the weirdly shaped pieces of "French White" I was finding around town, all of the sudden.  They tend to be squared off, such as the 13x9 baking dish or the 7x5 Loaf pan.

But there are round versions as seen with the 2 quart (CW-22-B with CW-22-C lid)

As well as oval versions. (CW-34-B with CW-34-C lid)

All of them sort of have "flared" handles on the ends.  Well, a round dish doesn't really have "ends", as it were, however the 4 quart roaster that I recently found at PACS (Portland Adventist Community Services) does have "ends", kind a, sort a.

None of these pieces have series or model numbers on the bottom.  Oh, they have numbers, but they don't seem to really mean anything in particular...  I have 2 of the bread pans and they each have a different number on the bottom.  One has a 02 and the other has an 18.   I find this rather interesting, since pieces from the Casual Elegance Line (like White Flora and the mysterious grapevine broiling tray I recently found for my mother) are usually marked with an L-#.  Evidently, these pieces were not part of that line, nor were they part of the Everyday Gourmet line.  Judging by the lids, they are from their own CW-series

So, as fate would have it, I was thumbing through one of my older cookbooks looking for something or other when a piece of paper caught my eye.  I had made a notation about buying an "8x8 FWII baking dish".  That particular cookbook was a Christmas gift from 1996, so it was sometime after that.

Translating my own chicken scratch, I am pretty sure that I needed and 8 inch "square" French White dish. Granted, I never did purchase the baking dish, but it jogged my memory and removed a few cobwebs.

If my aged mind can remember correctly, about the time the Casual Elegance line (White Flora) hit the market in 1995, or soon after, there were changes made to the French White.  The original version (the Every Day Gourmet Line) was still available, but there was an "updated" version as well that was suppose to be more conducive to standard recipes.  Thus the actual rectangular 13x9 dimensions on the "roaster", which was much more convenient to the layering of a nice lasagna than the original oval design was/is. (CW-13)

The lid for this piece is plastic with a blue vent cover...   It is marked as CW-13-VPC (I am assuming VPC means "Vented Plastic Cover")

The Loaf pan (CW-315) fosters the baking sandwich bread instead of boule in a Souffle dish.

The cover for the loaf pan is designed the same way as the cover for the 13x9 casserole (above).   It is marked as CW-315-VPC.

The 8x8 inch square baking dish (which is what I had made the notation about in the cookbook) allows for straight lines when cutting brownies and bar cookies.  Mind you, at the time ('97 or '98) I didn't have a P-322 in Cornflower like I do now.  In fact, I think I only had a couple of Vintage Saucepans (P-1 3/4-B and P-2 1/2-B) and a Loaf Pan (P-315) for baking bread.  Everything else I owned was of the Everyday Gourmet French White persuasion, like the 16 oz Ramekins (F-15), the 1.6L Souffle (F-5-B), the 10 & 8 inch Quiche (F-3 & F-8) and a 2.5qt Roaster (F-4-B).

The base design is/was the same, so old and new versions coordinate together fairly well.

I believe, from my notation, that is was called "French White II".  I may be wrong (It's been known to happen on many occasions), but that is what has been in the back of my mind since I found the cryptic note in that cookbook.

So, I did some poking around the internet, and while I cannot find any specific reference to a French White II, I DID find a reference to French White III.

It's currently being made by World Kitchen, thus it is made of stoneware, as are all pieces of French White since 1999, but I find the use of the III to be intriguing.  If they are on "version 3" of the French White design, then it bodes well for my theory that this other stuff is "version 2".

OK, so now that I have solved this little mystery, I would like to move on to the recipe that I supposedly needed the French White II baking dish for...  Blondies   Muah ha ha ha!

It appears that I had tried the recipe from the cookbook and then called my Mom to get Grandma's recipe.  (Thus the REALLY bad penmanship and shortened words like "B Sugar")  I just bet that Mom told me that Grandma baked them in an 8x8 Corningware baking dish (P-322).  I am also fairly sure that by 1997 the original P-322 had been discontinued, in fact, it was more than likely discontinued a lot earlier, since it seems to only be available in Cornflower, Floral Bouquet, Country Festival, Spice O' Life, Wild Flower and Just White; all of which are older patterns.  I am thinking that the 8x8 in French White II was probably the closest I was going to get at the time.

Grandma's "Better" Blondies

1/2 cup (4oz) Unsalted Butter
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
1 cup AP Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Salt
1 cup Pecans, chopped

1 1/2 quart Saucepan (P-1 1/2-B) I'm using my 2 1/2 quart Rangetopper (N-2 1/2-B), cause I haven't cooked in it yet, but a 1 1/2 quart is plenty big enough.
8x8 French White II Baking Dish (or P-322)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and prepare your baking dish with Baking Spray or Oil/Butter and Flour. (you can even cut a square of parchment for the bottom if you like, but I can guarantee my grandmother used waxed paper, then greased and floured that)
Melt the Butter in the 1 3/4 qt saucepan set over medium flame.

Add both Brown Sugars and whisk until combined (it will look like a thick custard)

Continue cooking until little bubbles form around the edge of the saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, or pitcher, whisk Eggs and Vanilla together.

In a small bowl, combine the Flour, Baking Powder, Salt and Pecans and set aside.

When the sugar mixture begins to bubble, remove the saucepan from the flame and slowly pour the Egg mixture into the Sugar/Butter mixture, whisking constantly to prevent egg scramble-age.

Now you will need to switch to a spatula.....

Add the Flour/Nut mixture to the Egg/Sugar/Butter mixture and fold them together.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Smooth with a spatula......

Bake 30 minutes for slightly gooey and 35 minutes for slightly chewy, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out with only a few particles on it.  :-)

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Let cool completely before cutting.

 Now kick back with a large cup of coffee and enjoy the salted butterscotchy goodness.

Where is your Corningware??
~~