I'm Stuffed - Broiled Stuffed Portobellos Are On The Menuette

So you may ask yourself, "What are the Menuettes good for except heating up soup?"  Well, they can come in handy for other things.  I use mine for Browning Butter, warming Milk for Sauce Bechamel or Chicken Stock for Sauce Veloute.  I sometimes even heat the Wine for my Risottos, but tonight, I used my 1 1/2 pint (P-82) for the filling to my stuffed Portobello mushrooms.

Granted, I only made 2 of them; if you were making more you would have to graduate to a larger sized saucepan like the 1 quart (P-1-B) or 1 1/2 quart (P-1 1/2-B).  But for only 2 Mushroom caps worth of filling, it worked perfectly.

Gruyere cheese not your thing...?  Well, there is Havarti, Fontina, Emmental, Bergkase, and Gouda.  I do not recommend Cheddar or Brie.  Brie is hard to work with, as is Taleggio & Camembert, due to their softness. As for Cheddar?  If this was a Portobello "Burger" with Lettuce, Tomato, Bacon and such I would say, "Go for it!".  But it's not, so I won't.  The flavor of Cheddar is just too "in your face"....  No buns about it.

Gruyere Stuffed Portobello Caps

2 Portobello Mushroom Caps
Olive Oil
approx. 1/2 a Leek, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Splash of White Wine, (I like Sauvignon Blanc)
3/4 cup Panko
1 oz Gruyere, finely grated
~optional~ 2 TB finely chopped Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Corningware Small 12x7.5 inch Roaster (P-332) - For larger amounts a Broil & Bake Tray (P-35)
Corningware 1 1/2 pint Menuette (P-82-B) - for larger amounts a 1 1/2 quart saucepan (P-1 1/2-B)

Pop the stems off the Portobellos, then trim the very bottom off the stem off and chop the remaining stems.

Grab a Leek and trim the root, then chop enough Leek to equal about 1/2 the amount of chopped stems you have. (Yeah, this is a little more "fly by the seat of your pants")

Begin heating the oil in a 1 1/2 pint saucepan (P-82-B) set over medium flame.

Add the Leek and saute for a couple minutes.

Add the chopped Portobello stems and the Garlic, then saute 2 minutes longer.

Give it a good Splash of Wine.

Continue simmering the mixture until the wine has almost evaporated.

Remove from the flame and set aside to cool.

Start your broiler, grab your P-332 12x7 Roasting pan and place the caps in the pan, gill side down.

Brush them with Olive Oil.

Place them under the broiler for 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven and flip them over so the gills are facing up.

Your filling should be cool enough now, so add the Panko and stir it up.

Now add the shredded Gruyere, and stir again.

If you are using the Parsley, add it now as well. (It just adds some color to the filling)

Season with Salt and Pepper then divide the filling between the caps.

Press lightly, so it holds together, then place back under the broiler for an additional 5 minutes.

 (or until the filling begins to turn a nice russet brown color)

Gratuitous picture of deliciousness about to be consumed.

Move the cap to a plate, and dig in!

Where is your Corningware??
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The Corningware Menuette - Quartet or Duette?

In 1966, Corning released the Menuette set....

Originally only a trio, the set consisted of a 6 1/2 inch skillet, a 1 pint and a 1 1/2 pint pans.  At the time, these were a revolution in Corning, for all of these pans had permanent handles sticking out of their sides.

The P-81-B with P-81-C lid.... 1 Pint (2 cup/16 oz)

The P-82-B with P-81-C lid... 1 1/2 Pints (3 cup/24 oz)

The P-83-B with P-83-C lid... 6 1/2 inch Skillet... (which is perfect for steam-basting eggs BTW)

Then, in 1978 (though one source claims it was 1971), there was a newcomer that stormed onto the scene....  the P-89-B, again with a P-81-C lid.  My assumption is that the decision was made to add this little guy to the product line since the 1 quart Saucemaker (P-55/P-64) production ended in 1978.  The 2 quart model (P-65) left the scene in 1970. This new saucepan is significantly smaller than 1 or 2 quarts, that is for sure.

This dapper fellow was really a P-82-B with a molded spout on one side.

This had an effect on the amount the P-89 could hold, reducing it's capacity to a mere 1 1/4 Pints (2 1/2 cups/20 oz).  Right smack dab in between the P-81 and the P-82.

And the Trio becomes a "Quartet".....  1 Pint, 1 1/4 pint and 1 1/2 pint saucepans with a 6 1/2 inch skillet.

Though technically, the P-89 was never sold as a "menuette", it was paired with the 6 1/2 skillet (P-83) and sold as a "Duette" set.

Menuette/Duettes were available in, what I like to call, the "legacy patterns", being the 60s & 70s.  So be on the lookout for good old Blue Cornflower, seen above, and Spice O' Life, Floral Bouquet, Country Festival, Wildflower as well as the Blue and Green Macrame made for Shell Oil and the Blue Snowflake/Five Pointed Star design made for American Oil.  (Sorry, no Black Trefoil, Renaissance, Platinum Filagree or Natures Bounty)  There are even some of the Christmas designs done in the individual pieces from menuettes, but not as a whole set. (sad)

The "menuettes" as a whole disappeared from the market in about 1983. However, when Corning released the RangeTop line (as opposed to current "Stovetop" line or the late 70's "Rangetoppers" - This is another post) they included a .5 Liter saucepan... basically the P-81-B along with the 1.5 & 2.5 liter saucepans.  It received a new designation as the S-81-B...   So far I have seen Shadow Iris, Pastel Bouquet, Country Cornflower and Peach Floral which places the designation switch to about 1983.

To make matters more confusing, the P-81 showed up again in the Peony pattern that was available in 1989, then it disappeared again.

Where is your Corningware??
~~