The art of the charlotte
In cooking, a charlotte is a delicious moulded dessert, with biscuits around the outside that have been soaked in a flavoured syrup, filled with a light cream or mousse. The charlotte is left to set in the fridge before being turned out and served in slices.
It is very light and a lovely sweet with which to round off a meal. It is refreshing, too, especially if made with fruit.
It is very light and a lovely sweet with which to round off a meal. It is refreshing, too, especially if made with fruit.
41 K 4.3/5 (18 reviews)
Keywords for this post:PastryCakeCookiesCreamDessertsCharlotteLast modified on: February 27th 2013
The art of the charlotte
Here are some hints on making charlottes.
A charlotte mould is lined in the bottom and around the sides with syrup-soaked biscuits. This outside layer is then filled with a cream and left to set in the fridge (usually overnight).
Of course, it is best to use a proper charlotte mould if possible. This is round and tall with tapering sides which make turning out easier. If the mould is non-stick, so much the better, as there is no need to butter it.
If you are worried that the charlotte will not turn out properly (it might stick on the bottom and fall apart) you can put a circle of paper or plastic film in the bottom of the mould.
Boudoir or sponge finger biscuits are the ones most commonly used – they are just right for this. If you don't have any, you can use slices of genoa sponge or brioche.
The biscuits are soaked in the syrup until they have absorbed some of it up before being arranged around the sides of the mould. The syrup needs to be well-flavoured and quite runny so that the biscuits can soak it up easily (a fruit coulis, for example, is thicker, so would need a longer soaking time).
Please note that there is a delicate balance to be struck between biscuits that are too dry or too soggy. Personally, when using a very liquid syrup (such as coffee), I soak the biscuit in the syrup, then take it out and remove the excess by pressing.
It is traditional to line the mould with biscuits arranged vertically around the side, then arrange more biscuits in the bottom. Of course, the biscuits won't be the right shape and will need to be cut to fit to give an even layer.
Once the outer "casing" is in place, this is filled with a cream that should set when cold. This is typically made with gelatin or agar-agar. One of the best results comes from using (about 50/50) whipped cream with something else that contains dissolved gelatine. This other ingredient can be a fruit coulis (fruit purée), custard (crème anglaise), creamy cheese like mascarpone, etc.
You can also make the charlotte in different layers: cream, diced fruit, cream. However you fill it, do be sure to fill the mould full, even round the top a little, as the cream will tend to sink a little as it sets.
You can also finish with a layer of biscuits, so that the charlotte has a complete outer shell. This is simply for appearance and a matter of taste.
Once the cream has been poured into the mould, cover with plastic film and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Shortly before serving, turn out carefully and slice vertically. Serve the slices laid flat for best effect, surrounded by a coulis, sauce or custard if you wish.
The dessert's origins are uncertain. The name might refer to the British queen Charlotte who was the wife of George III.
Principle
A charlotte mould is lined in the bottom and around the sides with syrup-soaked biscuits. This outside layer is then filled with a cream and left to set in the fridge (usually overnight).
Mould
Of course, it is best to use a proper charlotte mould if possible. This is round and tall with tapering sides which make turning out easier. If the mould is non-stick, so much the better, as there is no need to butter it.
If you are worried that the charlotte will not turn out properly (it might stick on the bottom and fall apart) you can put a circle of paper or plastic film in the bottom of the mould.
Biscuits
Boudoir or sponge finger biscuits are the ones most commonly used – they are just right for this. If you don't have any, you can use slices of genoa sponge or brioche.
Soaking syrup
The biscuits are soaked in the syrup until they have absorbed some of it up before being arranged around the sides of the mould. The syrup needs to be well-flavoured and quite runny so that the biscuits can soak it up easily (a fruit coulis, for example, is thicker, so would need a longer soaking time).
Please note that there is a delicate balance to be struck between biscuits that are too dry or too soggy. Personally, when using a very liquid syrup (such as coffee), I soak the biscuit in the syrup, then take it out and remove the excess by pressing.
It is traditional to line the mould with biscuits arranged vertically around the side, then arrange more biscuits in the bottom. Of course, the biscuits won't be the right shape and will need to be cut to fit to give an even layer.
Cream filling
Once the outer "casing" is in place, this is filled with a cream that should set when cold. This is typically made with gelatin or agar-agar. One of the best results comes from using (about 50/50) whipped cream with something else that contains dissolved gelatine. This other ingredient can be a fruit coulis (fruit purée), custard (crème anglaise), creamy cheese like mascarpone, etc.
You can also make the charlotte in different layers: cream, diced fruit, cream. However you fill it, do be sure to fill the mould full, even round the top a little, as the cream will tend to sink a little as it sets.
You can also finish with a layer of biscuits, so that the charlotte has a complete outer shell. This is simply for appearance and a matter of taste.
Once the cream has been poured into the mould, cover with plastic film and leave to set in the fridge overnight.
Shortly before serving, turn out carefully and slice vertically. Serve the slices laid flat for best effect, surrounded by a coulis, sauce or custard if you wish.
Charlotte?
The dessert's origins are uncertain. The name might refer to the British queen Charlotte who was the wife of George III.
Lasts posts
The thermometer is your friend
There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...April 10th 20251,0415
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20252,804
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20243,2055
The little trap of thick cream
When you need to add cream to a recipe, you might be wondering: thick (heavy) cream or liquid cream? In most cases, there's no big difference: you can use either. But there is one exception, and that's when the cream needs to be cooked, for a sauce for example, and here the difference between...December 13th 20243,4225
Sauce and salad: When and how to mix them?
When dressing a salad, there's a kind of golden rule: add the dressing very shortly before serving, especially if your salad contains crunchy elements such as croutons or fresh vegetables, which will retain their crunchiness or crispiness. But, as is often the case in the kitchen, there are...November 29th 20243,5515
Other pages you may also like
Steam for baking bread
What does steam have to do with bread-making? This is not only a bakers' secret, it is something you might not think of at all: if you make bread and bake it like a cake, you will end up with bread, but pale and with a thick, hard crust – a long way from the golden-brown crusty loaf you had in...June 16th 2021140 K4.5
Perpetual stock
It's something you have probably have done yourself: cooked or pre-cooked vegetables before adding them to a recipe. This is almost always done the same way: peel the chosen vegetables (carrots, for example), cut them up, boil them in salted water (using a tablespoon or so of coarse salt per litre),...November 22th 201626 K5
85 grams of eggs?
Some time ago, I already spoke to you about the difference between baking and pastry-making, I emphasized, among other things, the precision of pastry-making which requires grams, cm, degrees and minutes. That's why, on the one hand, you have baking and cooking, where a certain tolerance is...November 26th 201850 K4.6
Drawing a pattern in pastry
Often in the kitchen, in pastry-making, or in baking, we need to trace a pattern on a pastry. It's just a question of aesthetics but it has its effect after baking on a galette, pithiviers, pâté en croute (terrine in a pie crust), etc.May 23th 201930 K4.1
The so-called "nervous" meats
You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...April 16th 202130 K4.5
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.