Chef Juliette
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Apple Charlotte
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2436, Apple Charlotte, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Butter-dipped croûtons bake into a crisp bronze shell around lemon-and-cinnamon russet apple purée, domed high before baking so the Charlotte settles full and unmoulds with its case intact.
Desserts
French
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
Holiday
45 min
Active Time
1 hr 10 min cook•2 hr 10 min total
YieldOne 1-quart (1-liter) Charlotte, 6 servings
Charlotte aux pommes (apple pudding baked in a buttered bread case) teaches structure before sweetness. The one true thing to know is this: the apple purée must be stiff enough to hold a mound before it enters the mould. A loose compote will soak the croûtons and push through their seams, no matter how neatly you cut them.
The original says meanwhile, assuming spare pastry hands could shape bread while someone else watched the apples. For one cook, the concurrency goes, not the technique: line the mould first, then cook the filling. The source's quart mould is already a generous six-serving home scale, so its volume stays; twelve small russets become a weight because market apples do not keep a uniform size, a four-cup ovenproof pudding basin may replace the specialist mould, and thick smooth apricot preserves stand in for a waiting pot of stewed apricots. A 350°F home oven is the honest equivalent of a good moderate oven.
The specialist mould and simultaneous work are brigade scaffolding. The butter-dipped croûtons, overlapping seams, dry filling, and projecting dome are the dish, and they stay. Baked correctly, the bread becomes a crisp, butter-gold case around fragrant apple, while the high dome settles level rather than leaving the Charlotte hollow. One cook, one stove, one evening. Reduce the apples until a spoonful stands in a mound; that is the step that decides whether the case stands.
Charlotte aux pommes belongs to the Parisian classical dessert repertory, but its bread-lined apple form crossed from the English table before French cooks regularized it in the high-sided Charlotte mould. Across generations it moved easily between bourgeois homes and the pastry station because stale fine-crumbed bread, butter, and cooked apples made refinement from ordinary stores. It is often confused with charlotte russe, but that cold cream-filled cousin has a different structure; this Charlotte is baked, and its crisp case is the point.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
day-old pain de mie crumb for the croûtons
Quantity
8 ounces (225 g)
cut from an unsliced loaf, crusts removed
unsalted butter for the mould and croûtons
Quantity
¾ cup (180 ml / 170 g)
melted
russet apples
Quantity
6 to 8 medium apples, 3 pounds (1.35 kg) whole, yielding about 2 pounds 6 ounces (1.1 kg) prepared
quartered, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
unsalted butter for cooking the apples
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
caster sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
lemon zest
Quantity
6 wide strips from ½ lemon
white pith removed
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1 small stick, about 3 inches (7.5 cm)
thick stewed apricot purée, or smooth apricot preserves
Quantity
3 tablespoons (45 ml / 55 g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| day-old pain de mie crumb for the croûtonscut from an unsliced loaf, crusts removed | 8 ounces (225 g) |
| unsalted butter for the mould and croûtonsmelted | ¾ cup (180 ml / 170 g) |
| russet applesquartered, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced | 6 to 8 medium apples, 3 pounds (1.35 kg) whole, yielding about 2 pounds 6 ounces (1.1 kg) prepared |
| unsalted butter for cooking the apples | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| caster sugar | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| lemon zestwhite pith removed | 6 wide strips from ½ lemon |
| cinnamon stick | 1 small stick, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) |
| thick stewed apricot purée, or smooth apricot preserves | 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 55 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •1-quart (1-liter) Charlotte mould or four-cup ovenproof pudding basin
- •Wide 11- to 12-inch (28- to 30-cm) sauté pan
- •Long serrated bread knife
- •2-inch (5-cm) heart cutter or paper template and paring knife
- •Pastry brush and shallow dish for the melted butter
- •Cheesecloth and kitchen twine
- •Rimmed baking sheet
- •Flat serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the mould
Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the lower third. Brush the inside of a 1-quart (1-liter) Charlotte mould copiously with some of the melted butter, leaving a visible coating in every crease. Tie the lemon zest and cinnamon together in a small square of cheesecloth to make a paquet d'aromates, an aromatic bundle that can be removed cleanly when the apples are ready.
Measure the height of the mould before cutting the bread. The side croûtons must reach the rim exactly, because short panels leave the filling unsupported and tall ones scorch. - 2
Line with croûtons
Slice the pain de mie crumb ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut 7 or 8 hearts about 2 inches (5 cm) wide for the bottom, then cut 12 to 14 rectangles about 1½ inches (4 cm) wide and exactly as tall as the mould. Dip each croûton briefly in melted butter and let the excess fall away. Arrange the hearts across the bottom with their points toward the centre, slightly overlapping, then line the sides with overlapping rectangles. Press each seam gently and patch every glimpse of bare mould with a buttered scrap. If the panels begin sliding, chill the lined mould for 5 minutes so the butter firms, then press them back into place. The butter is structural here: it holds the lining before baking and fries the bread against the mould afterward.
Use a paper rectangle cut to the mould's height as a guide. Exact height matters more than perfectly identical width. - 3
Cook the apples
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) butter in a wide sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sliced apples, caster sugar, and paquet d'aromates. Cook uncovered, turning the apples regularly, until they release their juice, soften, and begin collapsing, about 20 minutes. Add no water. If the slices catch before softening, lower the heat and cover the pan for 2 minutes so their own moisture can free them, then uncover and continue.
- 4
Reduce the purée
Continue cooking over medium-low heat, stirring and pressing the fruit with a wooden spoon, until the apples become a coarse, very thick purée, about 15 to 25 minutes more. Draw the spoon across the pan: the path should remain open for several seconds, and a spoonful dropped onto a plate should stand rather than spread. Remove the paquet d'aromates, then fold in the stewed apricot purée or smooth apricot preserves. If the mixture slumps, keep reducing it before filling the mould. Ça se rattrape. If the bottom begins to scorch, transfer the unburnt purée to a clean pan without scraping the caught layer and finish the reduction there.
Do not blend the apples. Pressing them by hand gives a purée with enough body to support the bread case; a machine-smooth mixture releases liquid more readily. - 5
Fill above the rim
Spoon the warm apple purée into the lined mould in several additions, pressing lightly to remove large air pockets without disturbing the bread. Continue filling above the rim and shape the mixture into a centred dome about 1 inch (2.5 cm) high. This projecting dome is not decoration. The apples settle in the oven, and a level filling now produces a hollow Charlotte later.
- 6
Bake to bronze
Set the mould on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The visible bread edges should be deep butter-gold, the apple dome should feel set, and a little melted butter may glisten around the rim. If the bread darkens too quickly before the filling has settled, shield only the rim with a loose collar of foil and finish the baking.
- 7
Rest and unmould
Rest the Charlotte in its mould for 10 minutes. Too soon and the filling can push the warm case apart; too long and the cooling butter may fasten the bread back to the mould. Loosen only the upper edge with a thin knife. Set a serving platter over the mould, grip both securely with dry oven mitts, and invert them in one confident motion. Leave the mould in place for 30 seconds, then lift it straight up. If it clings, wait another minute; if one croûton remains behind, ease it free and press it back into its seam while warm. Cut the Charlotte into generous wedges and serve warm. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose aromatic russets such as Golden Russet, Roxbury Russet, or another variety that cooks down without flooding the pan. The weight matters more than the count because russet apples vary enormously in size.
- •Pain de mie is the right bread: close-crumbed, plain, and sturdy enough to slice thinly. Brioche brings extra sugar and fat the source never asked for, while open-crumbed country bread lets the apple escape through its holes.
- •Use thick stewed apricot purée if you have it. Smooth apricot preserves are the honest home equivalent, but if they run from the spoon, reduce them briefly in a small pan before measuring; loose preserves undo the work of drying the apples.
- •A metal Charlotte mould gives the sharpest browning, but a four-cup ovenproof pudding basin or straight-sided soufflé dish will hold the structure. Avoid a springform pan because melted butter can escape through its seam.
- •The Charlotte is best warm, within an hour of unmoulding, when the case is crisp and the apple remains soft. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 2 days, though the bread will soften.
Advance Preparation
- •The apple purée can be cooked up to 2 days ahead, cooled quickly, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat it gently until warm and stiff before filling the bread case, reducing again if storage has drawn out any liquid.
- •The croûtons can be cut 1 day ahead and kept airtight at room temperature. Dip them in butter and line the mould on the day of baking.
- •The mould may be lined and chilled up to 2 hours ahead, but fill it shortly before baking. A long wait with the apple inside softens the bread before the oven can set the case.
- •The finished Charlotte may be baked up to 2 hours before serving. Leave it in the mould, warm it for 10 minutes at 300°F (150°C), rest it for 5 minutes, then unmould.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 190g)
Calories
465 calories
Total Fat
28 g
Saturated Fat
17 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
70 mg
Sodium
190 mg
Total Carbohydrates
52 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
29 g
Protein
4 g
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