Ramekin is thought to come from a Dutch word for "toast" or the German for "little cream."




Name

Ramekin

Variant

Ramequin, Ramekin dish.

Pronounced

(ramə kin)[RAM-ih-kihn]ræməkin

Function

English Noun

Plural

Ramekins

Hypernym

A type of dish

Purpose

Cooking

Etymology

French Ramequin from Low German ramken, diminutive of cream, circa 1706. middle Dutch rammeken (cheese dish) dialect variant of rom (cream), similar to old English ream and German rahm. Ancient French cookbooks refer to ramekins as being garnished fried bread.


Meaning

1. A food mixture, (casserole) specifically a preparation of cheese, especially with breadcrumbs and/or eggs or unsweetened pastry baked on a mould or shell.

2. With a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 oz), it is a small fireproof glass or earthenware individual dish similar in size and shape to a cup, or mould used for cooking or baking and serving sweet or savoury foods.

3. Formerly the name given to toasted cheese; now tarts filled with cream cheese.

4. A young child usually between the ages of 3 months and 11 years exhibiting a compulsion to force or "ram" their head into various objects and structures.

These days, a ramekin is generally regarded as a small single serve heatproof serving bowl used in the preparation or serving of various food dishes, designed to be put into hot ovens and to withstand high temperatures. They were originally made of ceramics but have also been made of glass or porcelain, commonly in a round shape with an angled exterior ridged surface. Ramekins have more lately been standardized to a size with a typical volume of 50-250 ml (2-8 ounce) and are now used for serving a variety of sweet and savoury foods, both entrée and desert.

They are also an attractive addition to the table for serving nuts,dips and other snacks. Because they are designed to hold a serving for just one person, they are usually sold in sets of four, six, or eight. Ramekins now are solid white, round, with a fluted texture covering the outside, and a small lip. Please bear in mind that whatever you ask for them on Internet auction sites, someone is still getting the same thing in an op shop for peanuts.

However, there are hundreds of decorative ramekins that came in a variety of shapes and sizes. They came in countless colours and finishes and many were made by our leading artists and ceramicists. My collection has ramekins with One handle only, fixed to the body at one point only. If it has no handle, it is a bowl. If it has two, it is a casserole dish. But the glory day of the Australian Studio Art ramekin is well and truly over. See some here, ask questions or leave answers.

P.S. Remember, just as real men don't eat quiche, real ramekins don't have lids or two handles. Also remember, two handles makes it a casserole dish. Also, please note If it aint got a handle, it's just a bowl.

P.P.S. To all you cretins who advertise your ramekins by associating them with "Eames" or "Eames Era". Get your hand off it, you are not kidding anyone. The Eames people have told me that they never made ramekins.

P.P.P.s To all the illiterates out there in cyberspace, just as there is no "I" in team, there is no "G" in Ramekin. I am the Rameking, they are ramekins.

If you have a set of Grandma's ramekins at the back of a kitchen cupboard, have a look through the site, maybe you will identify them. Thank-you for looking.

There are many of you out there that have knowledge of Australian pottery. Please let me know if you have anything that I can add to the notes. It is important to get the information recorded. You probably know something that nobody else does.

Please note that while your comments are most welcome, any that contain a link to another site will no longer be published.

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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Bette Beazley




Designer        
Bette Beazley
Maker
Bette Beazley
Marks
Stamped “BB” inside circle.  Letters had trailing line from end of “B”
Material
Glazed Earthenware
Description
Hand thrown glazed earthenware bowl with scooped (similar to Arabia) handle angled slightly upwards from centre of exterior of bowl.  Brown matte glaze to interior and exterior. Unglazed base.
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
1980s
Width at rim
107mm
Width at Base
65mm
Depth
45mm
Length (with handle)
160mm
Weight
320gm
Volume
325ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Red Cross, Hampstead Gardens SA
19 December 2014.
Rameking Reference Number
BEA 001-003

Bette Beazley was a prolific potter worked first at Long Jetty in the Gosford area on the central coast of NSW from the 1960s to the 1980s. She made works in a wide variety of styles and sold her wares and taught pottery, first from her home, then from an A-Frame studio she had built at 310 The Entrance Road, Long Jetty. In the late 1980s she relocated to Sal’s Lane, on a semi-rural property in nearby Tumbi Umbi.  Her painted pieces usually featured delicate designs of Australian wildflowers, while her more modern plates and vases often displayed incised or impressed decoration. She also made pieces with applied floral decoration, and even a range of garden ornaments, with dragons and other fantasy creatures.



She continued making pottery there using an electric kiln in a small studio at the rear of the house and another kiln outside.  She made thrown and handmade pieces influenced by the ocean as well as whimsical figurative sculptures, including dragons. She signed her works with either an incised, painted or stamped 'BB'.    These works were sold from the pottery and through local galleries and gift shops.  A small number of her work was marked as “Woodbine Studios”.



She ceased working in 1988 when her home was sold, along with her pottery equipment before moving again.  Bette and her husband Viv (Vivian George) a retired motor mechanic then moved to Bateau Bay, close to their old home at Long Jetty.  Bette died around 1997 with Viv passing away about a year later.  Any further information would be appreciated.

Thanks to Australian Pottery at Bemboka for much of this information.







Friday, December 26, 2014

Mystery Maker Unmarked No 11




Designer        
Not known
Maker
Not known
Marks
No marks
Material
Glazed earthenware
Description
Circular mould formed  bowl tapering at top and bottom. Unglazed foot ring.  Brown gloss drip glaze to interior and top third of exterior of bowl.  Matte white underglaze.  Heavy handle splayed slightly outwards from body, ending in a rolled turn under at end.
Condition
Very good
Number
No number
Production Date
Not known, possibly late 1980s.
Width at rim
90mm
Width at Base
85mm
Depth
53mm
Length (with handle)
180mm
Weight
320gm
Volume
425ml
Acquisition
Purchase
Vinnies, Cowes, Phillip Island
13 December 2014.
Rameking Reference Number
MMU 11-001-006