Welcome to week 9 of our JC100 celebration. This week we are doing Julia Child’s Charlotte Chantilly, Aux Framboises. Traditionally you would mold this dessert but trying to find a Charlotte mold in Calgary, AB I soon found out is virtually impossible. If the kitchen stores understood what I was asking for or not they didn’t have one.
So, Julia also says that you can serve this in a serving bowl or dessert cups. We opted for the dessert cups. I still made the ladyfingers from scratch but you can make it easy on yourself and buy them. I actually whipped the egg whites by hand as I have never done that before and because I don’t have a copper bowl Julia suggested adding a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg whites.
You really get a good workout whipping those whites. I think my fingers were not quite crisp enough but do absolutely fine in the bottom of the dish. This is a bright and sunny dessert that is light as a cloud. Perfect for a summer day!! I enjoyed watching my DVD as I always do seeing her work her magic.
Variations
She made a Charlotte Malakoff au Chocolat which reminds me of her mousse. You can fill a Charlotte with many different filling. I went to the store wanting to do a strawberry one but left with raspberries as they were so beautiful. It makes me miss the raspberry patch I had at our last house. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!!
Julia Child’s Charlotte Chantilly
Ingredients
Ladyfingers
- 1 Tbsp. softened butter, for preparing the pans
- Flour, for preparing the pans
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 egg whites
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup confectioner's or icing sugar
Charlotte Chantilly, Aux Framboises
- 1 1/2 pints fresh raspberries
- 2/3 cup berry sugar
- 8 egg yolks
- 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- A 2-quart cylindrical mold about 4 inches high and 7 inches in diameter
- Round of wax paper for the bottom of the pan
- Additional whipped cream for decorating (optional)
Instructions
- 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 1/2 cup 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 1 tbsp 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. 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 round of wax paper in the bottom of the unbuttered mold. Then line the sides (not the bottom) with the upright ladyfingers. Fill the mold with the cream mixture. Place ladyfingers over the cream to fill the mold almost completely. Trim off any protruding ladyfingers around the edges of the mold. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving, remove the waxed paper, run a knife around the edge of the mold, and reverse dessert onto a chilled serving dish. Remove waxed paper. Decorate the top of the dessert with fresh berries and whipped cream if you wish, place more berries aroung the dessert.
Nutrition
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Comments & Reviews
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef says
This looks so good! I don’t think I can remember taking the time to whip egg whites by hand. I even have a copper bowl.
Perfect dessert!
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks Maureen, I have never hand whipped egg whites before. At least now I know I can do it!!
Terri @ that's some good cookin' says
Absolutely gorgeous. I can’t believe you took the time to whip the egg whites by hand! Amazing! Making anything from Julia Child is a labor of love, even though she makes everything look so simple. Great job!
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thank you so much Terri!!
Sonia says
So beautiful. Great job Tara
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thank you so much.