Consumed with Corningware

In case you have not noticed, I have been a little MIA as of late.   There has been cooking and baking going on, but there has also been an extreme lack of time for writing and picture modifying and such. 

What it really boils down to, is that I have finally found the limit as to what I am capable of pumping out blog-wise.  Having 2 blogs makes things a little rough, for when one is being nourished with tasty recipes, the other one is starving.   At this point, it has been Culinary Alchemy that is suffering in lieu of Corningware411 posts on patterns, pieces and food. 

Not to mention my first ever Vintage Corningware Giveaway (that was a fun experience).

So if you are not following Culinary Alchemist on Facebook, to which all Corningware411 posts are also funneled, here are some of the things I have been Cookin' Up, Old School.

Roasted Chicken

Bulgar Pilaf with Mushrooms

Stuffed Trout on Leek and Fennel

Chilled Watercress Soup

Tartiflette

As you can see, there has been definite cooking happening, just not enough time to post on both sites. 

Because Corningware411 is still a fledgling blog and over 50% of the posts are regarding patterns produced by Corning Consumer Products Division over the years, I feel that it needs to be fed more diligently at the moment than Culinary Alchemy, which encompasses a substantial body of work already. 

Because of this, I am going to put Culinary Alchemy on hiatus for the next couple of months... I will be back in full swing by November, when the Holidays begin.  This is not to say that I will not be posting at all over the next couple of months, but they will be infrequent at best.  I will be occasionally posting links to Corningware411 recipes, but be forewarned, they will be extremely Vintage Corningware-centric.  LOL

I would like to thank all the readers out there for your support and interest in Culinary Alchemy.  I would also like to thank you for your patients while I try to  figure out how to divide my time more effectively between the two blogs.

Mangia!!
~~

Little Green Apples in My Cake - Apple Cake with Bourbon Sauce

This delicious apple cake is courtesy of Linda Monforte, one of the ladies from the church we attended when I was a child.  It is my favorite apple cake.  Granted, she did not pour bourbon sauce over it when bringing it to church potlucks, but I think it is a welcome addition to this delectable apple cake.

I find my favorite apples for this cake, even though they are not necessarily green, are Braeburns or Winesaps, as they seem to hold their shape a little better when cooking in the batter.  This is one of my strange quirks.  I like my Pie apples tart and cooked completely and my Cake apples a little sweeter and to have some tooth to them, so I know they are there.  I think it has to do with the nature of the two desserts.

With Cake, the cake itself is soft and spongy, so the apples cannot be cooked to mush or the whole thing would just be a soggy mess.  A little tooth to the apples lends interesting texture that helps to bridge from the spongy cake to the crunchy nuts. 

In Pie, the flaky pastry crust lends the contrast to the softer, completely cooked apple filling.  If the apples are toothy, or worse, still crunchy, then you end up with a big slice of "ewww!" on your plate that NO amount of cheddar cheese, caramel sauce or ice cream can fix.

Not that I am opinionated or anything.  ;-)

Linda Monforte's Apple Cake

2 large Eggs
1/2 cup (118ml) Light Oil (such as Safflower)
2 cups (400g) granulated Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups (250g) AP Flour
2 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Salt
1 cup (110g) Pecans, chopped
4 cups (500g) Braeburn Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 4 apples)
Bourbon Sauce (see below)
Whipped Cream

Butter and Flour a 13x9 inch baking dish. (it's vintage Corningware P-21 for me, but a Pyrex dish will work too)

Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C) degrees
In a small bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, Cinnamon and Salt; whisking to combine.

In a medium bowl, combing Eggs, Oil, Sugar and Vanilla, whisking well until homogeneous.

Toast the Pecans for 8 minutes in the oven, then give them a nice rough chop.

Peel, core and chop the apples, then place them in a large bowl.

Pour both the Flour mixture and the Egg/Oil mixture over the Apples.

Fold them all together until there are no dry spots, then add Pecans and fold until well dispersed.

Pour the batter into your prepared Baking Dish.

Smooth the batter out a little, so it's level.

Bake for 45 minutes to 55 minutes.

Until all nicely browned and delicious looking, or until a toothpick comes out with only a few moist crumbs.

Place on a rack and allow it  cool while you make Bourbon sauce.....  OK, it's really more of a Bourbon Caramel Sauce, but, well...  It's a saucy caramel. (in more ways than one)

Bourbon Sauce

1 cup (200g) Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup (100g) Brown Sugar
2/3 cup (156ml) Water
4 oz (113g) Unsalted Butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup (59ml) Bourbon (I like Maker's Mark)
1/3 cup (78ml) Heavy Cream

Combine both Sugars and Water in a medium saucepan set over medium flame.

Stir until the Sugars dissolve and the syrup comes to a boil.

Place a thermometer in the syrup and bring to 300 F Degrees.

When the caramel hits 300, remove from the heat and stir in the butter with a whisk (

Once the butter has melted into the caramel and there is no further risk of crystallization,

remove the sauce from the heat and add the Bourbon and Heavy Cream. (careful, it will bubble and steam again

Pour into a heat proof pitcher and allow the caramel to cool.

Serving.....

Once the Apple Cake has finished baking, and has cooled to room temperature, cut 3-inch square pieces and place on a plate,

drizzling liberally with warm Bourbon Sauce...

and top with whipped cream... Oh yeah, baby!
 

Mangia!!
~~

Off My Rocker for Betty Crocker - Bonnie Butter Cake

Even though I am not really a "cake person", every once in awhile, I get the hankerin' for a piece.   Now this is not without an ulterior motive...  Because my cake craving is not so much the actual "cake" itself, but rather the topping that accompanies said cake.

Whether it's an Italian or Swiss Buttercream, Ermine (boiled milk) frosting, Cream Cheese frosting, 7 minute fluff, or adecadent Chocolate Ganache...   This is the real reason for the cake craving.  For cake is simply a vehicle for getting the good stuff into your mouth.  I'm just sayin' 

That being said, I have some Rhubarb sauce that I made with the last of my rhubarb.  True, you can buy "hot house" rhubarb throughout the year in most places, but hot house rhubarb never has the punchy tartness that it does when it is harvested in it's natural Spring season.  It's always kind of dull and flat...  Blah tasting, if you will. SO, after several rhubarb pies this year, I decided to make the rest into a sauce, to be stored in the freezer until such time as it was necessary to apply it heavily to my waffles and pancakes; or, in this case...  Cake.

Yes, I think Rhubarb sauce is delicious on cake, but I couldn't decide what kind of cake to make.  Pound cake is nice as is Angel Food, but both are fairly involved with the separating of eggs and beating things, then folding thing and yadda yadda yadda.  Angel Food, in particular, leaves me with a lot of yolks to have to make something with after the fact, and I am not in the mood for Creme Brulee since I just made Baked Custard less than a week ago.  I wanted something quick and simple, yet delicious.

The answer came from a source that I don't consult very often...  Betty Crocker.

No, I did not use a cake mix.  I used the Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Yep, I got one, though it always seems to sit forgotten on the shelf while I consult every other cookbook I own.   In fact, it was my brother that reminded me I had one when he made his infamous Gingerbread waffles.  When I asked him where he got the recipe, he told me it was in the Betty Crocker Cookbook.  I was dumbfounded, to say the least, yet ecstatic because I knew I had one.  Thus, it now has a sticky not sticking out of the top so I can find the recipe quickly.

The cake I chose was one that was fairly quick to make and simple in preparation, yet OH SO delicious that you would think it was a much more complex preparation.

Bonnie Butter Cake.

The only warning I can give you on this one, is that you need to follow the times for beating.  Whether hand mixer or stand mixer... The times are extremely important for a fine texture and maximum height.

Originally, this cake is written for 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch layers and then slathered in Fudge Frosting.  Honestly, I like it as a sheet cake or a loaf.  It makes it easier to serve with things like fruit sauces and reduces the amount of dirty dishes.  Like I said, I was going for simple.

Bonnie Butter Cake

2/3 cup (150g) unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cup (350g) Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs (That's 100g of Egg)
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 3/4 cups (345g) AP Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 1/4 cups (296ml) Whole Milk

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, then Butter and Flour a 13x9 inch baking dish. (I used my Vintage Corningware French White lasagna pan - which is pyroceram, not stoneware)

In a small bowl, combine Flour, Baking Powder and Salt; whisking to aerate and combine.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine room temperature Butter and Sugar, beat on medium speed until fluffy - 3 minutes.

Add Eggs and Vanilla and beat on high speed for 5 minutes.

Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the Flour mixture and Milk, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the Milk.

Continue beating on medium speed for 1 minute longer.

Pour into the prepared baking dish.

Supposedly it should bake for 45-50 minutes in a 13x9 inch pan, but mine was done in 38 minutes (I checked with a toothpick) which may have to do with the pyroceram dish, as it conducts heat better than Pyrex glass would.

Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, before turning out onto a rack.

Me?  I just leave it in the pan and cut big hunks out to be slathered with Rhubarb Sauce and Clove Whip Cream.

This is an extremely buttery and moist cake with a fine crumb.  The perfect vehicle for any topping you wish to consume.

Mangia!!
~~

Wordless Wednesday - Shrimp Étouffée

(Click Pic)

Mangia!!
~~

Birth of a Blog - Welcome to CorningWare 411

I have been working on a side project over the last couple of months.   Since this is now my 500th post on Culinary Alchemy (woo hoo!), I think it's time to let the proverbial cat out of the bag.....

I would like to announce the official birth of CorningWare 411, a Retro-Spective on Vintage CorningWare. I don't know about everyone else, but I have a lot of memories tied to that little blue cornflower in mom's, grandma's and great grandma's kitchens...

Hopefully, as time goes on, this site will answer any and all questions regarding the Use and Care of your vintage CorningWare as well as provide recipe ideas that utilize Pyro-Ceram's unique ability to bounce from Freezer to Oven to Stove Top to Refrigerator (don't try this with the modern stoneware imitations).  Over time, I hope to gather more information on patterns and production dates as well.

So come on over, take a look-see... I will start some coffee in the Drip-O-Lator and we'll chat.  :)

Where is your CorningWare?
~~

Egg-spert Eggs, Maybe - Frying an Egg?

This may seem like a silly post to do, but I have been "Fried Egg" challenged since I got back to Portland. I think I have finally re-mastered the Fried egg... although I am not sure if it really qualifies or not. You'll see what I am talking about.....

I love my eggs sunny-side up, with runny yolks for dipping toast. I usually accomplish this with one of my 'tried and true' cast iron skillet rubbed with butter. Well, that has all changed since I started cooking on a glass cook-top instead of gas. I found out the hard way that all your pans need to have smooth bottoms,

but all my cast iron pans have a thin ridge on the bottom, so they don't make full contact with the cook top... Thus they have been rendered impotent for egg frying. It was a sad day and the angels wept...

But I think I figured out how to get my sunny-side up egg.... Using that ever so wonderful Pyroceramic Corningware....  You've heard me talk about it before, here and there, but I think I have come to the realization that this bit of yesteryear IS the wave of the future.

(This really isn't an advertisement, cause they don't make it anymore - darn it)

Frying? an Egg in CorningWare

Butter
Olive oil
2 eggs
1 Corningware Petite pan (P-83-B) with a lid (P-83-C)
Toast points

OK, Heat the skillet over really low heat

and add the butter and oil.

When it becomes a little bubbly......

Crack the eggs into the skillet. (Though this skillet is so small, it is better suited to 1 egg) and season with salt and pepper if desired.

Then place the lid on...

It will get steamy under there and help to set the sunny side of the egg a little. (this is why I am not sure if this qualifies as a fried egg, maybe it's a steamed egg, or a steam fried egg - basted or braised maybe? I don't know)

After about 2 minutes, your egg will be ready, the white will be set and the yolks still runny....

Now the funny part...

I forgot just HOW non-stick Corning Ware can be, so while I was deftly trying to photograph the sliding of the egg onto my plate, it suddenly slid all at once and I kind of missed the shot... LOL

Serve with toast points.....cause it makes it easier to do THIS....

and THIS.....

YUM! And now the angels sing with joy as the fried egg has returned to the menu once again.

Mangia!!
~~

Side Note:  Your best resource for Vintage Corningware (Pre-1999, when World Kitchen, LLC ruined the brand by peddling their cheap stoneware) will be thrift stores such as local charity ones or the larger Good Will Industries and Salvation Army stores.  I would avoid antique shops if you can, they will be higher priced.  Trust me, there is A LOT of this out there, it was manufactured for 40 years, so it should not be too hard to find and should not cost you an arm and a leg either.