Chef Juliette
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Fraisalia Timbale
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2742, Fraisalia Timbale, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
A golden savarin shell hides cool layers of vanilla Bavarois and kirsch-bright strawberries, then rises under a generous pyramid of Chantilly, red berries, and jewel-cut strawberry jelly.
Desserts
French
Special Occasion
Celebration
Birthday
1 hr 15 min
Active Time
50 min cook•8 hr total
YieldOne 6-inch (15 cm) timbale, 8 servings
Timbale Fraisalia (a hollow yeast-raised cake filled with vanilla cream and kirsched strawberries) teaches architecture before ornament. The one true thing to know is this: the baked shell must keep a full half-inch wall and base when you hollow it. Cut thinner and the cream-filled timbale gives way; leave it stout and it unmoulds cleanly, carrying its cool vanilla layers with quiet confidence.
The original assumed separate hands making pâte à savarin, Bavarois, Chantilly, and clarified strawberry jelly, plus a Charlotte mould held in crushed ice. Here the quantities fit one 6-inch mould, the refrigerator replaces the ice surround, and a shallow pan of gelatin-set strawberry purée replaces the brigade's jewel-clear jelly. That clarity was service polish, not the dish. The yeast-raised shell, kirsch syrup, alternating Bavarois and berries, double turn, and Chantilly crown all stay because they are the dish. Wild strawberries are rarely sold by the punnet, so very small ripe cultivated berries take their place; they are less musky, but they hold their shape and carry the kirsch beautifully.
The Bavarois, a set vanilla custard folded with whipped cream, must be cool and just beginning to thicken before it meets the shell. Warm filling soaks the crumb, while over-set filling won't settle into the corners. Catch it between those states and the timbale slices into pale vanilla, scarlet fruit, and butter-gold cake. One cook, one stove, one evening, with the refrigerator doing the waiting. Before you fill it, measure that half-inch wall; this is the step that decides the whole timbale.
Timbale Fraisalia belongs to the Parisian entremets repertoire rather than to a regional farmhouse table: a Charlotte mould supplies the architecture, while pâte à savarin, Bavarois, Chantilly, kirsch, and strawberries unite several classical pastry preparations. In grand kitchens those components passed between separate hands and the filled mould was held in ice, allowing an elaborate cold dessert to reach the celebration table intact. It is sometimes mistaken for a strawberry charlotte, but its yeast-raised savarin wall, baked and then hollowed, gives the timbale its distinct character.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
unsalted butter
Quantity
7 tablespoons (105 ml / 100 g)
divided, softened for the mould and melted for the pâte à savarin
strong bread flour
Quantity
1⅔ cups (400 ml / 200 g)
instant yeast
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g)
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for the pâte à savarin
fine salt
Quantity
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g)
whole milk
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g)
lukewarm
large eggs
Quantity
3
at room temperature
strained strawberry purée
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 240 g)
cold water
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g)
for the strawberry jelly
granulated sugar
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g)
for the strawberry jelly
powdered gelatin
Quantity
2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g)
for the strawberry jelly
water
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g)
for the kirsch syrup
granulated sugar
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 67 g)
for the kirsch syrup
kirsch
Quantity
¼ cup (60 ml / 56 g)
divided between the syrup and strawberries
very small ripe strawberries
Quantity
2 cups (480 ml / 300 g)
hulled, for the filling
granulated sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g)
for macerating the strawberries
cold water
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g)
for the Bavarois
powdered gelatin
Quantity
2¼ teaspoons (11 ml / 7 g)
for the Bavarois
whole milk
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 245 g)
for the Bavarois
vanilla bean
Quantity
1
split and scraped
large egg yolks
Quantity
4
granulated sugar
Quantity
⅓ cup (80 ml / 67 g)
for the Bavarois
cold heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 240 g)
for the Bavarois
cold heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 240 g)
for the Chantilly
confectioners' sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 15 g)
pure vanilla extract
Quantity
1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g)
small red strawberries
Quantity
2 cups (480 ml / 300 g)
hulled, left whole or halved for finishing
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted butterdivided, softened for the mould and melted for the pâte à savarin | 7 tablespoons (105 ml / 100 g) |
| strong bread flour | 1⅔ cups (400 ml / 200 g) |
| instant yeast | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the pâte à savarin | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| fine salt | ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) |
| whole milklukewarm | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) |
| large eggsat room temperature | 3 |
| strained strawberry purée | 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) |
| cold waterfor the strawberry jelly | ¼ cup (60 ml / 60 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the strawberry jelly | ¼ cup (60 ml / 50 g) |
| powdered gelatinfor the strawberry jelly | 2 teaspoons (10 ml / 6 g) |
| waterfor the kirsch syrup | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 80 g) |
| granulated sugarfor the kirsch syrup | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 67 g) |
| kirschdivided between the syrup and strawberries | ¼ cup (60 ml / 56 g) |
| very small ripe strawberrieshulled, for the filling | 2 cups (480 ml / 300 g) |
| granulated sugarfor macerating the strawberries | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) |
| cold waterfor the Bavarois | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) |
| powdered gelatinfor the Bavarois | 2¼ teaspoons (11 ml / 7 g) |
| whole milkfor the Bavarois | 1 cup (240 ml / 245 g) |
| vanilla beansplit and scraped | 1 |
| large egg yolks | 4 |
| granulated sugarfor the Bavarois | ⅓ cup (80 ml / 67 g) |
| cold heavy creamfor the Bavarois | 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) |
| cold heavy creamfor the Chantilly | 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) |
| confectioners' sugar | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 15 g) |
| pure vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon (5 ml / 5 g) |
| small red strawberrieshulled, left whole or halved for finishing | 2 cups (480 ml / 300 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •6-inch (15 cm) round Charlotte mould, about 4 inches (10 cm) deep
- •Stand mixer with paddle, or a sturdy bowl and wooden spoon
- •Small serrated knife and spoon for hollowing
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •8-inch (20 cm) square pan for the strawberry jelly
- •Pastry brush
- •Electric whisk
Instructions
- 1
Set the strawberry jelly
Sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of the cold water and leave it for 5 minutes to swell. Warm the remaining water with the sugar and half the strawberry purée just until the sugar dissolves, then remove it from the heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Add the remaining purée and pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Pour it into a lined 8-inch (20 cm) square pan, making a shallow layer, and refrigerate until firmly set, about 2 hours. If threads of gelatin remain, warm the mixture gently and strain it again before chilling. Ça se rattrape.
- 2
Mix the savarin paste
Use 1 tablespoon of the softened butter to coat the Charlotte mould thoroughly, paying attention to the bottom edge. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a mixer bowl. Add the lukewarm milk and eggs, then beat with the paddle on low speed until no dry flour remains. Increase to medium and beat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pâte à savarin, a soft yeast-raised dough, looks elastic and falls from the paddle in sticky ribbons. Beat in the remaining melted, cooled butter one spoonful at a time. If the dough turns greasy, stop adding butter and beat until it absorbs what is already there, then continue. Cover and let it rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes.
- 3
Proof and bake
Stir the risen dough down firmly, then scrape it into the buttered mould and smooth the surface with damp fingers. It should fill roughly one-third of the mould. Cover and let it rise until it reaches about three-quarters of the height, 30 to 45 minutes. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 35 minutes, until deep butter-gold and about 190°F (88°C) at the centre. If the top browns before the middle is ready, lay foil loosely over it. Rest for 10 minutes, loosen the edge with a thin knife, and turn it onto a rack. Cool completely before hollowing, at least 1 hour; warm crumb tears instead of cutting.
- 4
Prepare syrup and berries
Bring the syrup water and sugar to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves, then simmer for 1 minute. Cool it until merely warm and stir in 2 tablespoons of the kirsch; adding the spirit off the heat keeps its cherry perfume. Toss the filling strawberries with the macerating sugar and remaining 2 tablespoons of kirsch. Leave them for 20 minutes, then drain them thoroughly in a sieve. Do not let them sit in the liquor for hours, or they soften and bleed into the Bavarois.
- 5
Hollow the timbale
Set the cooled savarin upright as it baked. With a small serrated knife, cut a circle exactly ½ inch (1.25 cm) inside the rim, stopping ½ inch above the base. Lift out the centre crumb in pieces, then neaten the cavity with a spoon while measuring the wall and base in several places. Brush the cavity thinly with kirsch syrup, stopping when the crumb is fragrant and lightly tacky rather than sodden. If the knife nicks through a wall, press a piece of reserved crumb into the opening from inside and brush it lightly with syrup. Ça se rattrape. Return the shell to the clean, dry Charlotte mould in its original position.
- 6
Make the vanilla Bavarois
Sprinkle the Bavarois gelatin over its cold water and leave it to bloom for 5 minutes. Heat the milk with the vanilla seeds and pod until small bubbles appear at the edge. Whisk the yolks and sugar until smooth, then pour in the hot milk gradually while whisking. Return everything to the saucepan and cook over gentle heat, stirring constantly, until the crème anglaise coats the spoon and reaches 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C). Never let it boil. If tiny curds appear, remove it from the heat at once, blend briefly, and strain; ça se rattrape before the eggs cook hard. Remove the vanilla pod, dissolve the bloomed gelatin in the hot custard, and strain it into a bowl set over ice. Stir until cool and just beginning to gain body. Whip the cold cream to soft peaks and fold it into the custard in three additions. If the custard sets around the bowl before folding, hold it over lukewarm water for a few seconds and stir until smooth again.
- 7
Layer and chill
Spoon a layer of Bavarois into the hollow shell, spreading it into every corner without soaking the wall. Scatter over a layer of well-drained kirsched strawberries, keeping them level rather than pressing them down. Continue with alternating layers, finishing with Bavarois flush with the opening. Tap the mould once against a folded towel to settle any hidden air pockets. Cover and refrigerate until completely firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.
- 8
Turn and finish
Whip the Chantilly cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla to medium peaks that hold their shape without looking grainy. Place a flat plate over the mould and invert the timbale onto it. If it refuses to release, wrap the mould for 5 seconds in a towel wrung out with hot water, then try again without tugging. Place the final serving dish over the exposed base and turn the timbale a second time, restoring it to its baked position as the source method requires. Pile the Chantilly into a generous pyramid and stud it with whole small strawberries or large strawberry halves. Cut the set jelly into fine dice and arrange them around the base. Serve well chilled. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Use a straight-sided 6-inch (15 cm) Charlotte mould about 4 inches (10 cm) deep. A high-sided cake tin of the same capacity is the honest substitute; a fluted ring mould cannot give you the solid walls this timbale needs.
- •This dessert truly needs fragrant fresh strawberries. Tiny wild berries are magnificent when available, but small cultivated berries are the practical choice. If the fruit has no perfume, wait for its season; frozen berries may supply the jelly purée, but they weep too much for the filling and crown.
- •Kirsch means the clear, dry cherry eau-de-vie, not a sweet red cherry liqueur. Its clean heat cuts through the Bavarois and Chantilly without turning the dessert sugary.
- •Brush the shell with restraint. A savarin usually welcomes plenty of syrup, but this one must carry a cold filling and survive two turns. Fragrant and supple is right; saturated is a collapse waiting to happen.
- •For clean servings, chill the timbale thoroughly and cut it with a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between slices.
Advance Preparation
- •The strawberry jelly can be made up to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated in its pan. Dice it shortly before finishing so the cut surfaces remain neat.
- •The savarin shell can be baked 1 day ahead. Cool it completely and wrap it well at room temperature, then hollow and brush it when you assemble the timbale.
- •The filled timbale is best assembled the evening before serving and kept covered in its mould. Add the Chantilly, finishing berries, and jelly dice no more than 1 hour before it reaches the table.
- •Refrigerate leftovers promptly and eat them within 2 days. The strawberries soften as they stand, though the Bavarois remains sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 315g)
Calories
640 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
22 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
14 g
Cholesterol
260 mg
Sodium
225 mg
Total Carbohydrates
62 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
40 g
Protein
12 g
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