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Charlotte aux poires
Pear mousse charlotte
Charlotte aux poires: sponge finger crown filled with pear mousse
The charlotte aux poires is an elegant French family dessert for Sunday lunch or Christmas, a crown of sponge fingers around a light pear and vanilla cream, set overnight and topped with fanned pears. It needs no oven. This version sets with agar instead of gelatine, so it is vegetarian. The common mistake is soaking the sponge fingers too long, so they collapse. Chef's tip: dip each finger in the pear syrup for one second only, sugared side out.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 2 cans pear halves in light syrup820 g total, drained, syrup kept
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp agar powder
- 1 cup double creamvery cold
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Purée half the 2 cans pear halves in light syrup and dice the rest, keeping 3 halves for the top. Line the base of a 18 cm charlotte mould or springform with baking paper.
10 minStep 2: Dip the 24 sponge fingers (boudoirs) one at a time in the pear syrup for 1 second and stand them round the side, sugared side out, then cover the base.
10 minStep 3: Heat the 1 cup whole milk with the 1 ½ tsp agar powder, whisking, and boil for 2 minutes. Whisk the 3 egg yolks, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract, pour on the milk, return to a low heat and stir for 2 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the purée and cool until just warm.
10 minStep 4: Whip the 1 cup double cream to soft peaks and fold into the pear custard with the diced pears.
5 minStep 5: Pour into the mould, cover with any remaining fingers and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Step 6: Turn out on to a plate and top with the reserved pears, sliced and fanned.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does charlotte aux poires take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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