CRANBERRY CHARLOTTE RUSSE

This little jewel of a holiday treat combines whipped cream vanilla mousse with a tart but sweet cranberry gelee topper, ringed with delicate lady fingers. Like so many vintage sweets, the provenance of the charlotte russe is a bit vague. Some historians suggest the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême invented the dessert in the 18th century for his employers, Queen Charlotte of England and Russian Czar Alexander I. Either way, charlotte russes became popular in America, trickling down to the streets of New York City where a vastly simplified version was sold in push-bottom paper cups from the ‘30s to the ‘50s.

This no-bake recipe also yields a bonus for your holiday table. Mix the reserved cooked cranberries from the topper with the leftover gelee for a bowl of delicious cranberry relish!

Makes 2, 6-inch charlottes

INGREDIENTS

Charlotte Russe

• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (1 packet) softened in 3 teaspoons warm water
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (Nielsen-Massey)
• 28 lady fingers
• Cranberry gelee (from recipe below)

Cranberry Gelee

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder (1 packet)
• Fresh juice from 1 small orange (to make 2 tablespoons)

For the garnish

• Thin orange slices
• A few fresh cranberries
• Sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Holiday ribbon

METHOD

Charlotte Russe
In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin powder over 3 teaspoons warm water and stir. Set aside to bloom gelatin. Whisk egg yolks well in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Place milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling. Temper egg yolks by whisking 1/2 of the steamed milk into the bowl of whisked egg yolks. Whisk in the rest of the milk. Return mixture to the saucepan and whisk continuously over medium-low heat. Add the bloomed gelatin and continue whisking until gelatin has fully dissolved and custard has thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon. Remove custard from heat. Pour custard through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl and set aside to cool for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

While custard cools, line two 6-inch removable-bottom cheesecake tins with plastic wrap, allowing edges of wrap to extend over the rims of the tins. Cut the bottom of each lady finger off so that, when standing upright, each lady finger should be just above the top of the tin. Save the ladyfinger bottoms to line the bottom of the tins. Line the inside edges of each cheesecake tin with the trimmed ladyfingers, nestling them sugar-side-out, side by side, and straight up so that the cut edges stand flush with the bottom of each tin. Fill the bottom of the tins with the reserved ladyfinger bottoms (laid flat).

Once custard has cooled, whip 1 cup of heavy whipping cream until medium peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold 1/3 of the cooled custard into the whipped cream. Repeat, gently folding the rest of the custard into the cream. Divide mixture between the two lady-finger-lined cheesecake tins. (You should have about 1/2 inch of ladyfingers still exposed above the mixture.) Refrigerate. Important: You will add the partially set cranberry gelee to the top of the charlottes after they have set for 3 hours.

Cranberry Gelee
Bloom gelatin powder by stirring with 3 teaspoons warm water in a small bowl. Set aside. Combine 2 cups of fresh cranberries with 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat to boiling. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes until berries have popped, and mixture is soft. Pour berry mixture through a fine mesh stainer, capturing the juice in a bowl. Do not press on the berries—that will “muddy” the clarity of the juice. Reserve the berries. Place the strained juice back in the saucepan. Add lemon juice and 1/2 cup sugar. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved (3 minutes.) Add bloomed gelatin and continue stirring until gelatin has fully dissolved (5 minutes.) Remove from heat, pour into a glass bowl, and cool for 20 minutes. Strain fresh orange juice through a fine mesh strainer twice. Stir strained orange juice into cranberry juice mixture. Leave cranberry orange mixture in a bowl until charlotte russe has been refrigerated for 2 hours. At this point, refrigerate bowl of gelee for 45 minutes until thickened and slightly wobbly, but not fully set. Pour a small amount of thickened gelee over the tops of the two charlotte russes and smooth to fill the tops of the cakes. (Save the remaining gelee to make cranberry relish.) Return charlottes to refrigerator for another 2 hours until gelee is fully set or refrigerate overnight.

Garnish and Serve
Grip the plastic wrap extending over the edges of the cheesecake tins to lift charlotte russes from tins. Discard plastic and carefully place charlotte russes on serving platter. Wrap a ribbon around each charlotte russe. Decorate tops with thin slices of orange, sprigs of rosemary, and a few tiny raw cranberries. Serve cold.

Make Bonus Cranberry Relish
Place the reserved cooked cranberries in a small pan. Add 1/2 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes. In a bowl, stir cranberry mixture with leftover cranberry gelee. Refrigerate until set.