The charlotte is a festive cake that was previously prepared for special occasions. Chocolate charlotte, strawberry charlotte or passion fruit charlotte, there are undoubtedly more variations of charlotte than there are days in the year! A few bites of a strawberry charlotte and you will be enchanted … Follow our charlotte lesson to become a pro of this delicious dessert (which can also find savory versions).
Molded dessert, relatively cylindrical in shape, charlotte is a cake surrounded by a biscuit thickness made from spoon cookies and filled with a mousse or cream mixed with fruit. This dessert is served hot or cold, sweet and sometimes even salty.
To prepare it, you must first line a special round mold with cookies or sandwich bread (for a savory preparation in particular) before filling it with the preparation of your choice. The charlotte is then cooked, or not, and set in the cold.
Originally, this dessert, created by Queen Charlotte (wife of George III), was a kind of fruit pudding surrounded by slices of buttered bread. The charlotte served herself hot.
The pear charlotte recipe
Ingredients:
- a box of spoon cookies
> for the custard
- 50 cl of milk
- 8 egg yolks
- 150 g sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
- 8 gelatin sheets
> Chantilly cream
> the pear filling
- 1 kg of pears
- 25 cl of water
- 250 g sugar
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Refrigeration time: 4 hours
The steps of the pear charlotte recipe
1. Soak 8 gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water and wring them out.
2. Prepare a custard by boiling 50 cl of milk with 1 vanilla pod. In a bowl, pour 8 egg yolks and mix them with 150 g of sugar. Then pour the hot vanilla milk and cook everything without letting it boil. Off the heat, add the gelatin.
3. Add whipped cream to your preparation.
4. Peel 1 kg of pears, cut them and poach them in a syrup prepared with 25 cl of water and 250 g of sugar.
5. Soak (at least) twenty spoon cookies in this syrup very lightly, line a charlotte mold with it.
6. In the center, fill alternating layers with cream and poached pear slices. Cover with cookies and set aside 4 hours in the refrigerator. Then, turn out the charlotte onto a round dish and serve it with a chocolate coulis for example or a custard.
Which cream to garnish my charlotte?
You can replace the custard with whipped white cheese or heavy cream mixed with Chantilly. Otherwise, use soy milk yogurt for a little original taste.
For those who love custard, try vegetable "milks" made from soy, rice, or other grains or oilseeds. See our article on the custard recipe.
It is possible to vary the tastes and pleasures. Gelatin is needed, on the other hand, to "get" the charlotte. If you prefer to use gelatin of non-animal origin, know that agar-agar, a natural gelling agent, works very well. To do this, simply add the desired dose of this vegetable powder to your preparation when it is being boiled (to learn more about the different types of gelling agents, read our article).
Flavor ideas for my charlotte
The most famous charlotte is undoubtedly the strawberry charlotte but nothing prevents you from varying the pleasures, it is a dessert recipe that can be declined at your leisure.
With red fruits, passion fruits, pears or apples, anything goes!
Otherwise, chocolate charlottes, those with coffee or chestnuts, are wreaking havoc.
Finally, you can, on the same principle as charlotte, cook tasty salty charlottes with eggplant or asparagus garnished with a preparation based on fresh cheese.
What biscuit crust for my charlotte?
Most charlottes are wrapped in a crust made from spoon cookies soaked in syrup or not. But you can vary the pleasures by opting for pink biscuits from Reims or speculoos.
However, avoid over-soaking them, as they are less resistant than the original spoon or boudoir cookies.
The most "virtuoso" pastry chefs among you can even make a crust made from strips of pears or poached apples, but beware of the appliance. Make sure the cream is compact and jellied enough to stand up.
How to decorate my charlotte?
Charlotte is by definition THE birthday cake so, when it comes to decoration, go for it! Chocolate shavings sprinkled on a red fruit coulis or custard, white chocolate chips and colored sprinkles, try! You can even try toasted sesame seeds or convoluted orange zest.