Best Charlotte Malakoff Recipes

JULIA CHILD'S CHARLOTTE CHANTILLY, AUX FRAMBOISES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300F. Prepare two 12 x 24″ baking sheets by buttering lightly and then dusting with flour. Knock off the excess. Set aside.
• With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk gradually add the sugar to the egg yolks and the vanilla. Continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow, thick and forms a ribbon. This will take a few minutes.
• Beat the egg whites and salt together in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. Scoop a quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with a quarter of the flour. Fold in with a spatula.
• Continue adding another quarter of the egg whites and a quarter of the flour until all is used up and just incorporated leaving your batter light and fluffy. Now scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted round opening 1/2″ in diameter.
• Pipe the fingers out slowly making them 4″ long and 1 1/2″ wide. Sprinkle on the icing sugar. If it is too much you can turn the pan over and the excess will fall off but the fingers will stay on the tray. Try it, it really works!! Bake in the middle of the oven until very pale brown underneath their sugar coating for about 20 min.
• These can be served on their own or used in the dessert to follow.
• Wash and check over the raspberries. Run them through a fine sieve and into a bowl measuring out 1 1/4 cups of puree. Chill.
• Beat the sugar into the egg yolks with a wire attachment on an electric mixer and continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Now place the bowl over not quite simmering water and beat until the mixture had thickened into a cream and becomes too hot for your finger.
• Remove the bowl and set in now in a bowl of iced water and continue to beat until the mixture is cold again forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Set aside and beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the chilled raspberry puree into the egg yolk mixture and then fold in the whipped cream. Place the ladyfingers into the bottom of an individual serving dish and top with the raspberry filling.

CHARLOTTE MALAKOFF

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 400 F (205 C). Line two large baking trays with parchment paper. Using an electric beater, mix together 4 egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and pale in color. Beat in the vanilla flavouring. Sift the flour and baking powder together on a sheet of wax paper. Fold in 1/2 of the egg whites to the egg yolk/sugar mixture. Then fold in 1/2 of the flour mixture to the egg yolks. Repeat, adding the rest of the egg whites and then the remainder of the flour to the egg yolks. The mixture should be thick and airy. Transfer the mixture to the a large piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round opening. Pipe the ladyfingers onto the prepared baking sheet, making them 4 inches long and 1 inch wide (you could also spoon them onto the tray). Dust the tops of the ladyfingers with confectioner's sugar. Bake for 8 minutes until they turn light brown. Remove from oven and transfer immediately to a wire wrack to cool.
• Hull the strawberries, wash and set aside. Combine 2/3 cup water and1/3 cup orange liqueur in a soup plate or other flat container. Dip each ladyfinger quickly into this mixture and let drain on a wire rack. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until smooth, using electric beaters. Add the orange liqueur, almond extract and pulverised almonds (I used my food processor to grind the almonds to a fine consistency). In a separate bowl, whip the cream with electric beaters until soft peaks form. Gradually fold in the cream into the butter and almond mixture.(Julia folds her cream in by working the spatula from the outside of the bowl towards the center). The mixture should be thick and airy: do not over-mix. Line the bottom of the mold with unbuttered wax paper. Line the sides of the mold with the ladyfingers placed closely together, rounded sides facing outwards. Fill the inside of the mold with 1/2 of the almond/cream mixture. Place a layer of strawberries on top of the mixture, heads facing down. Place a layer of ladyfingers on top of the strawberries, placing them closely together. Add another layer of the almond/cream mixture, almost to the top of the mold. Add another layer of strawberries and finish with layer of ladyfingers. Trim the tips of the ladyfingers so they lie flat with the edge of the mold. (This will wind up being the bottom of your Charlotte cake, so it doesn't matter what it looks like here)! Place a round piece of wax paper on top of the ladyfingers, cover with a plate and then add a heavy weight on top of the plate. (I placed a can of beans on top, while Julia placed a large glass of water). Place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight; this chills the butter firm so the dessert will not collapse when unmolded. When ready to serve, remove the waxed paper and run a knife closely around the edge of the mold. Reverse onto a chilled serving plate and remove the remaining piece of waxed paper. Decorate with rosettes of whipped cream and strawberries.