Chef Juliette
Various Almond Preparations
Five almond preparations, one discipline: remove the skins cleanly, dry every kernel through, then cut, toast, or cloak it in pale caramel without letting its fragrant oils escape.
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Charlotte Plombière
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2635, Charlotte Plombière, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Charlotte Plombière builds a crisp ladyfinger shell around vanilla ice cream, kirsch-soaked candied fruit, and ribbons of apricot jam. Assemble it cold, turn it out cleanly, and serve before the biscuit softens.
Desserts
French
Special Occasion
Celebration
Dinner Party
20 min
Active Time
0 min cook•50 min total
YieldOne 1-quart (1-liter) charlotte, 6 servings
Charlotte Plombière (a biscuit-lined mould filled with Plombière ice) teaches the discipline of cold service. The case must be crisp, the ice firm enough to hold its fruit and apricot ribbons, and the whole dessert turned out only when the table is ready. One true thing before you touch the mould: cold buys structure, but time steals the biscuit.
The original entry assumed a pâtissier holding finished Glace Plombière (No. 2795), a shelf of cold charlotte moulds, and hands ready to fill and turn out to order. At home, use one chilled 1-quart mould, one measured batch of the finished ice, and a cleared freezer shelf. The individual service moulds and brigade choreography were scaffolding, so they go; the dry biscuit lining, cold filling, and last-minute unmoulding are the dish, so they stay. One cook, one stove, one evening, and the stove stays cold.
Use boudoirs or gaufrettes (thin crisp wafers), exactly as the entry allows, and never soak them. The moment that matters is the fill: ice that is too hard knocks the case apart, while melting ice soaks it from within. Temper the filling only until a spatula bends it, then fill, turn out upon the napkin, and serve at once.
Charlotte belongs to the Parisian grand-kitchen repertoire of moulded desserts, where the cold biscuit-lined form grew from an older family of bread-lined puddings and passed readily onto bourgeois celebration tables. Glace Plombière (No. 2795) is tied by culinary tradition to Plombières-les-Bains in the Vosges, though claims of a single inventor are less secure than the surviving formula of vanilla ice cream, kirsch-macerated candied fruit, and apricot jam. Pairing the two makes a crisp, freestanding centrepiece, but the instruction to fill it only at service shows that this remains a dessert of timing, not ornament.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dry ladyfingers (boudoirs) or flat gaufrettes
Quantity
24 ladyfingers, about 7 oz (200 g), or 20 to 24 gaufrettes, about 4 oz (115 g)
kept dry and trimmed only as needed
Glace Plombière
Quantity
3 cups (720 ml / 650 g) Glace Plombière (No. 2795)
frozen firm, then tempered until scoopable
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dry ladyfingers (boudoirs) or flat gaufretteskept dry and trimmed only as needed | 24 ladyfingers, about 7 oz (200 g), or 20 to 24 gaufrettes, about 4 oz (115 g) |
| Glace Plombièrefrozen firm, then tempered until scoopable | 3 cups (720 ml / 650 g) Glace Plombière (No. 2795) |
Equipment Needed
- •1-quart (1-liter) metal charlotte mould, about 6 inches (15 cm) across
- •Small offset spatula
- •Serrated knife for trimming biscuits
- •Thin slicing knife
- •Chilled rimless serving platter
- •Clean white cotton or linen napkin
Instructions
- 1
Chill the service
Clear a level space in the freezer. Chill a 1-quart (1-liter) charlotte mould and the serving platter for 30 minutes, and place the spatula and serving knife in the refrigerator. Keep a clean, dry white napkin ready for the turn-out. Cold tools slow the melting that would otherwise soften the biscuit while you work.
A metal charlotte mould releases fastest and keeps the filling cold. A smooth-sided pudding basin of the same capacity is the honest home equivalent. - 2
Build the dry case
Set aside several biscuits for the base that will rest on the platter after unmoulding. Fit the remaining ladyfingers snugly over the bottom and around the sides of the cold mould, placing their neatest faces against the metal; trim pieces with a serrated knife to close any gaps. If using gaufrettes, overlap their edges slightly so the ice cannot escape between them. Add no syrup or extra kirsch. Moistening the case is not refinement here, it is how a crisp charlotte becomes a wet one.
- 3
Temper the ice
Ten to fifteen minutes before serving, move the Glace Plombière (No. 2795) from the freezer to the refrigerator. Test it with the cold spatula: the surface should yield under firm pressure while the centre remains frozen. If it is still rigid, give it another two minutes rather than forcing it into the case. If the edges turn glossy or wet, return it to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Ça se rattrape.
- 4
Fill at service
Bring the mould and ice together only when the table is ready for dessert. Spoon in one-third of the ice and press it gently against the biscuit lining with the cold spatula, filling the corners without shifting the case. Add the remainder in two passes, working quickly and leaving no large air pockets. Do not stir or beat the filling, since the candied fruit and apricot layers belong to the finished preparation and should remain distinct.
- 5
Close and settle
Level the filling at the rim, then cover the exposed face with the reserved biscuits, trimming them into a close, flat base. Press lightly, never hard enough to squeeze melting ice between the seams. If the filling softened while you worked, place the mould in the freezer for no more than 5 minutes while you arrange the napkin; this brief settling is rescue, not permission to assemble the charlotte hours ahead.
- 6
Turn out and serve
Spread the dry white napkin over the chilled platter. Place the platter napkin-side down over the mould, hold both firmly, invert in one confident motion, and lift the mould straight upward. If it clings, wrap the outside with a warm, thoroughly wrung towel for 3 seconds and try again; do not immerse it or the biscuit will slide. If one biscuit remains behind, lift it out and press it neatly into place. Cut immediately with a thin knife warmed and dried between slices. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose dry boudoirs with enough firmness to stand upright. Soft, cakey ladyfingers drink the melting ice too quickly and lose the clean fluted shape of the mould.
- •For the alternative case, use flat, unfilled gaufrettes without chocolate or cream. They are more fragile than ladyfingers, so overlap them and handle them by the edges.
- •Glace Plombière (No. 2795) must be complete before this recipe begins. The vanilla ice, kirsch-macerated candied fruit, and apricot jam belong to that preparation; adding more here would disturb the book's balance.
- •The napkin is functional, not theater. It catches condensation, steadies the cold charlotte on the platter, and preserves the presentation specified by the entry.
- •Serve with coffee or a small glass of kirsch. Any leftover portion may be wrapped and frozen for a day, but the biscuit will soften, so the first service is the one that matters.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare and freeze the Glace Plombière (No. 2795) according to its own entry before beginning the charlotte. Keep it firmly frozen until the short tempering period at service.
- •The biscuits may be test-fitted and trimmed several hours ahead, then kept airtight at room temperature. Chill the empty mould and platter during the final 30 minutes.
- •Do not fill the case in advance. Have every component ready, then assemble, unmould, and serve within 10 minutes; the last-minute fill is the dish, not brigade scaffolding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 142g)
Calories
385 calories
Total Fat
19 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
125 mg
Sodium
130 mg
Total Carbohydrates
47 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
36 g
Protein
7 g
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