Charlotte With Dried Fruit Recipes

CHARLOTTE WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place all fruit in a 3-quart saucepan. Add cider and sugar, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until fruit is tender and mixture has thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Remove crusts from bread. Cut slices to fit tightly in bottom of a 6- to 8-cup straight-sided ovenproof mold, like a charlotte mold or soufflé dish. Cut enough half-slices to fit around sides of mold, slightly overlapping. You should also have enough bread left to cover top.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a skillet. Lightly sauté bread pieces for bottom of mold on both sides until golden. Place in mold. Add more butter and continue sautéing bread pieces for sides and fit them into mold. Pile fruit into bread-lined mold, pressing it in tightly. Brush bread for top of mold with remaining butter and put in place.
• Bake 15 minutes until top is well browned. Allow to cool 30 minutes, run a knife around outside, turn upside down onto a serving dish and unmold. Serve with crème fraîche. Charlotte can be frozen in its baking dish, thawed and baked at 300 degrees for 25 minutes to reheat before serving. It can also be frozen, unbaked, brought to room temperature and baked before serving.

PEAR CHARLOTTES WITH CHAMOMILE CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix in raisins and rum. Let soak 1 hour. Drain raisins.
• Meanwhile, heat honey in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pears; sauté just until tender, about 2 minutes. Cool. Mix in raisins.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups, then sprinkle with sugar. Place cups on baking sheet. Place 8 bread slices on work surface. Cut out 1 round from each slice to fit cup bottoms. Line cup bottoms with bread rounds. Cut enough of remaining bread slices into strips wide enough to line cup sides; line cup sides completely with strips, cutting to fit. Cut enough of remaining bread into 1/2-inch cubes to measure 4 cups.
• Whisk cream, sugar, eggs, rum, and vanilla in large bowl to blend well. Add 4 cups bread cubes and fruit mixture; stir to blend. Divide among prepared cups.
• Bake charlottes until center is puffed and set, about 55 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Warm in 350°F oven for 7 minutes.) Run knife around sides of charlottes. Invert onto plates. Spoon crème anglaise over warm charlottes.

QUICK RASPBERRY CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Layer ladyfingers in soufflé dish. Stir Cognac into melted ice cream and pour evenly over cookies. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Purée, raspberries with water, sugar, and lemon juice in a blender until smooth.
• Beat cream with an electric mixer or a whisk until it just holds stiff peaks, then add 3/4 cup raspberry sauce and continue to beat until mixture holds soft peaks.
• Lightly press on cookies with a spatula to compact slightly, then drizzle 1/2 cup raspberry sauce over them. Spread raspberry cream evenly on top and chill, covered, in freezer 30 minutes.
• Serve charlotte with remaining raspberry sauce.

SPRING FRUIT CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Zest lemon and set aside.
• Juice lemon and measure out 1 tablespoons.
• In a bowl, combine peaches, blueberries, pie filling, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
• Mix gently.
• Reserve 1 cup of fruit mixture and pour remainder into an 8 x 12 inch oval baking dish, mounding slightly in center.
• In a 1 quart bowl, blend pudding mix, milk, cinnamon, vanilla and egg with a whisk.
• Cut crusts off bread with a serrated knife.
• Dip each bread slice quickly into egg mixture on each side to coat lightly.
• Arrange slices in overlapping circular pattern around edges of dish, on top of fruit, leaving center open.
• Pour any remaining egg mixture over bread.
• Spoon reserved fruit mixture into center opening.
• Bake 23 to 30 minutes, or until edges of bread are a deep golden brown.
• Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar (use a shaker or put in a sieve and shake it over).
• Sprinkle lemon zest over top.
• Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
• NOTE: Three large fresh peaches (1 1/4 lbs.), pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces can be substituted for canned peaches.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHARLOTTES

Steps:

• Bring cherries, kirsch, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Stir in almond extract.
• Heat cream, chocolate, and a pinch of salt in another small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring, until chocolate is melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, stirring until incorporated, then stir in cooked cherries with any liquid.
• Transfer filling to a metal bowl and freeze, stirring occasionally, until firm but not frozen solid, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut out 12 rounds from bread slices with cookie cutter, then cut 42 (2- by 1 1/2-inch) rectangles from trimmings and remaining slices. Spread 1 side of each round and rectangle with some of remaining butter. Put 6 rounds, buttered sides down, in molds and line sides with rectangles (5 to 7 per mold), buttered sides against mold, arranging them vertically and slightly overlapping, pressing gently to adhere. Trim any overhang flush with rims.
• Divide filling among molds and top with 6 remaining bread rounds, buttered sides up, pressing gently to fit inside bread rim.
• Bake charlottes in molds on a baking sheet in middle of oven until bread is golden, about 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes, then invert plates over charlottes and invert charlottes onto plates. Serve warm.
• Available at Broadway Panhandler (866-266-5927 or 212-966-3434).