Charlottes

The term charlotte is used for two significantly different desserts: hot charlottes, which are baked with a fruit filling, and cold charlottes, which have a Bavarian cream or custard filling. The two types of charlotte share two characteristics: the bottom and sides of the charlotte molds are always lined before the filling is added and, once the filling has set, the desserts are unmolded before they are served. In the case of the well-known Charlotte Royal and Charlotte Russe, the molds are lined with jellyrolls and ladyfingers, respectively. In other recipes, the molds are lined with sponge cake, meringue products, buttered bread, or thinly sliced fruit. Charlottes are made in individual servings or in forms that serve up to ten people. The first recognized chilled charlotte was Charlotte Russe, which was invented by Antonin Carême at the beginning of the nineteenth century and was derived from the original classic, warm apple charlotte.