Charlotte Russe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6-inch (15 cm) springform pan at least 3 inches (7.5 cm) deep, or a 1½-quart charlotte mould
• •Food-safe acetate collar or parchment
• •Blender or food processor
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Small saucepan
• •Two mixing bowls, one large enough for an ice bath
• •Balloon whisk or electric hand mixer
• •Flexible spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Build the biscuit mould

   Line the base of a 6-inch (15 cm) springform pan with parchment and fit an acetate collar against the inside wall. Cut 6 ladyfingers diagonally across their middles. Pair the 12 halves, sugared faces against the parchment, into 6 small hearts, with their points meeting near the centre and their rounded lobes facing outward. Arrange the hearts as a close rosette and patch the small centre opening with a biscuit trimming. Trim the remaining ladyfingers to the height of the pan, making one end square, then stand them tightly around the wall with their sugared faces against the collar. Close every gap you can see; a wide opening lets the bavarois escape and weakens the upright wall.

2. 2

   Purée the strawberries

   Set aside the optional garnish strawberry. Purée the remaining fruit until completely liquid, then work it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Measure 2 cups (500 ml / 500 g) of strained purée and stir in the lemon juice. The strawberry purée is the determining product in this Charlotte. Pralin (No. 2352) belongs to the source's separate praline variation and does not enter this bowl.

   Do not stretch a short measure of purée with water. The fruit is the flavour, so purée another handful of berries if needed.
3. 3

   Bloom the gelatin

   Put the cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over its surface. Leave it undisturbed for 10 minutes, until every granule has swollen and the mixture resembles a soft, opaque gel. Sprinkling gelatin into water prevents dry pockets; pouring water over a mound of gelatin traps them.

4. 4

   Set the bavarois base

   Put 1 cup (250 ml / 250 g) of the strawberry purée and all the sugar in a small saucepan. Warm it gently, stirring, only until the sugar dissolves; it must not simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, add the bloomed gelatin, and stir until the mixture is perfectly smooth with no visible grains. Whisk in the remaining purée, then set the bowl over ice water and stir until the base is cold and lightly coats the spatula, with the body of unbeaten egg white. This is the decisive moment. If the edges begin setting into jelly before the centre thickens, stop. Ça se rattrape: set the bowl over barely warm water for a few seconds and whisk until smooth, then return it to the ice bath and watch more closely.

5. 5

   Fold in the cream

   Whip the cold cream until it holds soft peaks whose tips bend over. Whisk one-third of it into the thickened strawberry base to lighten the mixture, then fold in the remainder in two additions with a broad spatula, turning the bowl as you lift from underneath. Stop as soon as no white streaks remain. A warm base melts the cream and a firm base catches it in lumps, which is why the timing in the previous step matters more than speed here.

6. 6

   Fill the Charlotte

   Spoon a shallow layer of bavarois gently over the biscuit rosette to pin it in place. Add the remaining mixture, working it toward the wall so no empty pockets remain between the upright biscuits. Tap the pan once against a folded towel, then level the surface without pressing out the air. The bavarois should come close to the tops of the biscuit walls.

7. 7

   Chill until set

   Cover the pan without touching the surface and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. The Charlotte is ready when the centre feels softly resilient under a fingertip and no longer ripples when the pan moves. Do not freeze it to hurry the setting; the bavarois can release water as it thaws, and the biscuit walls turn sodden.

8. 8

   Invert and serve

   Place a chilled serving platter over the pan and invert both together in one confident turn. Release the springform ring, lift away the base, and peel off the parchment and acetate to reveal the biscuit rosette and upright walls. If the mould resists, wrap the metal briefly in a warm, damp cloth, then try again. Set the optional strawberry in the rosette centre. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts; the bavarois should hold a clean edge but yield softly to the fork. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ripe strawberries matter more than the calendar. Out of season, use about 4½ cups (680 g) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed with their collected juice, then purée and strain them. A berry frozen when ripe has more character than a pale fresh one.
• •Choose crisp, dry biscuits à la cuillère. Do not soak them in syrup; the bavarois gives them enough moisture during the long chill, while soaked biscuits lose the firm walls that define the Charlotte.
• •Weigh the gelatin if you can. Spoon measures and packet sizes vary, while 9 g gives this quantity of bavarois a soft but dependable unmoulded set. Agar is not a direct replacement and produces a firmer, more brittle texture.
• •Serve the Charlotte cold but not numb. Ten minutes out of the refrigerator lets the strawberry open and the cream soften. A demi-sec Champagne is splendid beside it; a tannic red wine quarrels with the fruit.

Advance Preparation

• •Assemble the Charlotte the day before serving and keep it covered in the refrigerator. The bavarois sets more evenly overnight, and the biscuits soften just enough to cut cleanly.
• •The biscuit mould can be arranged several hours before filling and held at cool room temperature, away from humidity.
• •Unmould the Charlotte up to 2 hours before serving and return it to the refrigerator on its platter. Leftovers keep covered and chilled for 2 days, though the biscuits become softer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)