Posh Nosh - Lobster Mac & Cheese

Normally, I snub my nose at Seafood with Cheese.  I like to TASTE my seafood and cheese tends to be a little to overpowering for the subtlety of things like Lobster and Crab.

That being said, I have found exceptions to this basic "rule".  One of these is Lobster Mac & Cheese.  As long as the cheese is a mild and subtle one, it can be one of the most delectably decadent dishes you will ever consume.

Danish Fontina is my go to cheese for this application.  This mild, subtly nutty cheese is smooth melting as well, which makes for a perfect sauce addition.    I based this "sauce" loosely on "Lobster Newburg", so it's loaded with cream, in 3 different forms.  The Fontina cheese replaces the egg yolks, but I could not leave out the "kick".  Thus, I tossed in some Tabasco, instead of Cayenne, and left the Cognac in to kind of pull everything together and smooth out any rough edges. (it's a miracle liquor in cooking)

The "Lobster" I chose is the smaller Squat Lobster.. which is what is usually used in restaurants for such applications as this. It's usually referred to as Langostine or Langostino in the United States, but could even be sold as "scampi", because the seafood naming conventions in the U.S. are REALLY wishy washy...  Don't get me started on "Colossal Shrimp" that are really prawns (cause there is a difference between a prawn and a shrimp).

Lobster Mac & Cheese

4 oz Unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, minced fine
3 TB AP Flour
1 cup Heavy Cream
6 oz Mascarpone
4 oz Crème Fraîche
1 TB Tabasco
3 TB Cognac
12 oz Danish Fontina
1/4 tsp White Pepper
16 oz Medium Shells
12 oz Langostine (Previously Cooked)
~optional - Black Truffle oil

Parmigiano-Reggiano, shredded
Panko

Corning Ware A-3-B or P-2 1/2-B
Corning Ware A-5-B
Corning Ware P-332 OR 6 of the French White F-16 ramekins OR 6 of the P-14-B Casser-ettes from the Heat n' Eat line (Grab-its)

Fill your A-5-B with 4 quarts of water... Add about 1 1/2 TB of sea salt and place over High flame.

Place your A-3-B (P-2 1/2-B) over Medium-Low flame and add the butter to the saucepan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
When the foaming subsides, add the shallot and saute until soft.

Whisk in the Flour and cook the resulting roux until bubbly and begins to smell nutty.

Add the Heavy Cream and bring to a simmer.

Add Mascarpone and stir until melted and smooth.

Whisk in the Crème Fraîche and bring back to a simmer again.

Add the Tobasco,

then the Cognac.

and cook everything until it begins to thicken slightly....

By now you should be able to drop your pasta into salted boiling water and cook for 3/4 the time listed on the package.

Begin adding the shredded Fontina to the simmering sauce, a little at a time, whisking until completely melted before adding the next handful.

When melted and smooth, whisk in 1/4 tsp White Pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and add the Langostine, then toss it all together to coat the shells well.

Now, you can either pour the resulting deliciousness into a P-332 (like I did this time)

OR.....
Divide the pasta between 6 of the Casser-ettes (P-14-B) from the Heat n' Eat line (which is what I did the last time)

OR.....
Divide the pasta between 6 French White F-16 Ramekins in the same manner... It all depends on how you want to present the dish.

If you are going that "little bit extra" now is the time to lightly drizzle with Black Truffle Oil.

Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano lightly over the top (just a little bit, don't over do it) and sprinkle with Panko.

Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes for the Ramekins/Casser-ettes or 15 minutes for the P-332.

Turn on the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes... just enough to color the top.

mmmm Lobster Newburg goodness in pasta form.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Rudimentary Roaster Report - Corning Ware Roasters

So many roasters, so little time.

In a world dominated by recipes that require the standard 13x9 (Pyrex) Baking Dish, I feel it's time to explore the menagerie of roasters/baking dishes in the Corning Ware world.  Their measurements are a little different, but the overall area of the dish works out pretty much the same...

A 13 x 9 baking dish gives you an area of 117 square inches of dish.  While a 12 1/4 x 10 (A-21-B) gives you an area of 122 square inches... a little more, but not enough to create a casserole catastrophe, by any means... So let's take a REALLY close look at ALL the Corning Ware Roasters, both P and A-series, for they all have different measurements leading to different square inch capacities.

These are the three P-series Baking/Roasting pans.  The P-332, P-21-B and P-76-B.

These are the three A-series Baking/Roasting pans.  The A-18, A-21-B and A-76-B (There is an A-21-B-N, but I will touch on that at the end)

While standard Corning Ware cooking dishes switched to the A-series in 1972, the new A-series roasters did not make their debut until 1976.  It should also be noted that the P-332 hung around until sometimes around 1982-84 before it was discontinued, which just happened to be about the time that the A-18 and A-76 were removed from the market as well.  The A-21 hung on until about 1986 when it got a makeover and became the A-21-B-N.

Here are the comparisons....

The P-332 (bottom) and the A-18-B (top)...

The P-332 is 11 1/2 x 7 1/2 (87sq). This is my "Go To" pan for a single batch of Lasagne

The A-18 is 10 x 8 1/2 (85sq).

The P-21-B (bottom) and the A-21-B (top)...

The P-21-B is 13 x 8 3/4 (114sq)  Which is slightly bowed out. (there is a reason for this, but I will cover that at the end)

The A-21-B is 12 1/4 x 10 (122sq)

The P-76-B (bottom) and the A-76-B (top).....

The P-76-B is 15.5 x 9.75 (151sq)

The A-76-B is 14 x 11.5 (161sq).  It's almost a square.

After 1986, the A-21-B was modified and became the A-21-B-N...  One of the major differences was the addition of handles at each end, instead of having the bent rim all the way around. The A-21-B-N is also significantly heavier than the A-21-B, as the glass is much thicker like the cookware.  The dimensions, however, are extremely similar, being 12 1/2 x 10 1/2 (131sq).  It's basically 1/4 inch longer and 1/2 inch wider than the A-21-B.

Now, lets get into the reason for the bowing in the P-21-B.

It was all because of this....   The P-19 Broiling Platter.

When using an electric oven (which produces a drier heat than a gas oven) you can place water in the P-21-B and sit the P-19 Broiling platter on top...

Thus increasing the humidity inside your electric oven and producing a much moister roast, or so the theory goes.

So there you have it... A massive crash course in Corning Ware Roasting/Baking Pans.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~

Guacamole on the Half Shell? - My P-Series Shell Oil Avocado Medallion Collection

In late 1970 or early 1971 (it is not known for sure which date is correct) the Shell Oil Company's Credit Card Division began offering a special pattern of Corning Ware to it's card carrying customers.  The "Macrame" pattern, as it has become known, was available in either Avocado Green or Cornflower Blue until 1974.  Thus, the pieces available span the P-series as well as the A-series cut over in 1972.  This brings on a few problems when trying to determine exactly WHAT pieces were made.

Personally, I have a deep seated love for the P-series era of Corning Ware anyway, so I only collect pre-1972 pieces. It helps that the Petite pans, Pie Plate, Roaster and Loaf pan retained their P-series designation, even during the A-series era, post 1972.   Thus, there are technically MORE P-series pieces than there are A-series ones.

Thus far, I have been able to find the following pieces in Green Macrame......

This includes the P-2 1/2-B, the P-9-B, the P-41 Petite Pans, the P-332 Roaster, the P-315 Loaf Pan as well as the P-81 and P-82 Menu-ettes.  Sadly, I know the P-83 out there as well, cause I sold one 3 years ago on Ebay. (I can be SUCH an idiot sometimes!)

As far as the infamous 2 books are concerned... Neither mentions the Menu-ettes at ALL.  The P-309 Pie plate (I know for a fact it exists in blue) isn't mentioned either.

However, Kyle lists a P-1.5/A-1.5, a P-10/A-10 skillet, an A-84 (4 quart), though he states that it's a 5 quart.  Which means he's talking about the P-34.  (Very confusing, I know) He also mentions the P-43 Petite pan, but doesn't mention the P-41s which are in my photo above.  I would have thought it might be a typographical error in the book, but I have seen a photo of a P-43 petite on the corellecorner.com web site.  Randy & Debbie mention the roaster and the loaf pan, along with 2 covered saucepans, but not the sizes, as well as a skillet and a petite pan (instead of both sizes). 

The basic point, is that I don't think anyone knows for sure which pieces were actually made in this pattern.... I don't think they made the large roasters (P-21 & P-76) but you never know...   As I stated, neither of the books mentions the Menu-ette set or the pie plate, so your guess is as good as mine.

As far as the A-series pieces go, I know that production included an A-1 1/2-B as well as an A-8 skillet (I have them for sale on Etsy right now.)

Where is your Corningware??
~~

A Change of Scenery - Macho Nacho in Floral Bouquet

This post is going to look a little different.  You see, I am house sitting for my brother and his wife this week, as well as baby sitting the children, because they are celebrating their anniversary.  Thus, I have been "forced", as it were, to bust out their CorningWare for all my cooking needs.

As far as "Classic" CorningWare goes, I collect Wheat, Trefoil and Blue Cornflower...  When I cook, I usually use the Blue Cornflower, simply because, if anything terrible happens, it is significantly easier to replace than my Wheat or my Trefoil.

My brother and Sister-in-law, on the other hand, are collectors of Floral Bouquet.  Most of their collection is of the 3rd version of the pattern and in the A-series, but they have a few 1st & 2nd version pieces from the P-series as well.  Sadly, I am not using any of those pieces, since I only need a Baking dish and a Skillet, cause I am making the Macho Nacho.

My mom use to make this ALL the time when we were kids.  I was quite surprised when, as an adult, I ordered "Nacho" in a restaurant and received melted cheese drizzled over chips.  Sorry, to me that is not Nacho, cause I am use to having this multilayer deliciousness.

Since I am making this for fairly young children, I have used mild salsa and left out the diced green chiles and the sliced jalapenos this time, but this is a basic recipe that is infinitely changeable to meet your personal taste...  And I must say, I often skip the Jalapenos all together and go for finely chopped Chipotles in adobo.

Macho Nacho

Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Beef
2 cans Refried Black Beans
1 jar Salsa (mild, medium or hot-- your choice)
optional - 6 oz can Diced Green Chiles
6 oz can sliced Black Olives
optional - 4 oz can sliced Jalapenos
6 oz Cheddar, Shredded

Corning Ware 10 inch Skillet (A-10-B or P-10-B)
Corningware 2 quart Baking Dish (P-332)

Begin by placing the A-10-B/P-10-B over medium flame and drizzling Olive oil over the bottom of the dish.

When the oil is hot, add the ground Beef.

Saute, breaking the Beef down with a fork, until well browned.

Drain the Beef on paper towels and begin preheating the oven to 350F degrees.

Spread the Refried Black Beans over the bottom of the P-332.

Spread the Ground Beef over the Beans.

Spread the Salsa over the Ground Beef.

Here is where you would add the diced Green Chiles as well.
Sprinkle the Black Olives over the Salsa/Diced Green Chiles.

Spread the sliced Jalapenos, if using, over the Olives. (or spread finely chopped Chipotles with the adobo)
Now cover everything with the shredded Cheddar.

(It is important that the cheddar is last, for it will melt and protect the Olives and Jalepenos from drying out during cooking.)
Toss the P-332 into the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly... about 30-40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and spoon portions onto a plate... Sprinkle chips around...

Don't forget the big dollop of Sour Cream... And guacamole if desired.

Where is your Corning Ware??
~~