STRAWBERRY CHARLOTTE

A classic, again.

We can realize this recipe with frozen strawberries or fresh ones, the process is lightly different though. I used strawberries from the garden that I froze last summer.

Makes 4 individual charlottes.

THE JELLIED STRAWBERRIES.

- 1 cup frozen strawberries (about 200 gr)

- 1 tbsp sugar.

- 2 tbsp water.

- 1,5 to 2 sheets gelatin (or 3~4 gr powdered gelatin).

Hydrate the gelatin.

Heat up the water with the sugar, add half of strawberries rougly chopped, cook 2 or 3 minutes. Then add the other half of strawberries (cut in 2) and cook again for 2 minutes. Add the gelatin, pour in a ramekin or a pastry ring and put in the fridge until jellied.

Remove from the ramekin and cut in 4 slices. Reserve.

If you have fresh strawberries, just use them like that (cut in 2 according to the size of them or even your taste). I gel the frozen strawberries because they release a lot of liquid and I don't want them to seep through the cake.

THE LADYFINGERS (BISCUIT CUILLER)

We can buy them of course, it's easier but I prefer to make them because I can stick them to each other, the manipulation is easier and I guess it's a little more aesthetic. Notice that in French "cuiller" (or cuillère) means spoon, because those biscuits were shaped with a spoon before. Nowadays we use a pastry bag.

- 4 egg yolks.

- 2 egg whites.

- 50 gr sugar.

- 40 gr flour.

- powdered sugar.

Beat the yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat the whites until stiff and fold them with the previous mixture. Add the flour delicately (in 2 times).

Cover an oven tray with greaseproof paper, fill a pastry bag (plain tip) with the batter and lay it down into 5 cm long. Leave space between them or stick them to each other (then make a strip which will fit with your pastry rings). Now shape the same way circles for the charlottes bottom. Sprinkle with powdered sugar 2 or 3 times and bake them for 6-7 minutes (medium heat). Remove them from the oven tray.

Line the individual rings with the ladyfingers strips (sides and bottom). Obviously we can first brush the ladyfingers with a syrup (water + sugar + liqueur). I didn't do it because the ladyfingers aren't dry as they are homemade.

Reserve.

THE BAVAROIS CREAM.

It's basically a custard sauce (crème anglaise) flavored traditionally with vanilla and stuck with gelatin and finally combined with whipped cream.

- 25 cl milk.

- 2 egg yolks.

- 50 gr sugar.

- 1 vanilla sugar packet or a vanilla pod (cut along the whole length, scrap out the seeds and keep them).

- 2 sheets gelatin (or 4 gr powdered gelatin).

- 15 cl cold cream (30% fat minimum).

Hydrate the gelatin.

Beat the yolks and the sugar until pale and fluffy. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan with the vanilla pod and seeds (or simply add a vanilla sugar packet) and then pour it over the previous mixture, stir well. Put again in the saucepan and cook over very low heat until thickens (up to 85°c/ 185°F if you have a thermometer). Leave to cool for about 15 minute and add the gelatin, stir well. Leave to cool to room temperature. Then whip the cold cream until thick and fold into the custard.

Half fill the molds with this bavarois cream, then put the stawberries (fresh ones or one slice of jellied strawberries) and fill again with bavarois cream until the top leaving 5 mm free for the strawberry coulis.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE.

- 250 gr fresh or frozen strawberries.

- 50 gr sugar.

- 10 cl water.

Bring the water and sugar to the boil, add the strawberries. Cook for 2~3 minutes and then mix in a blender, sift and refrigerate.

Remove the charlottes from their molds/or rings and pour some sauce on the top and eventually in the service plate, decorate as you want and enjoy.

The jellied strawberries...