Chocolate Charlotte with berries

Chocolate Charlotte with different kinds of berries

Making tough decision by definition is never easy nor fun. And I never consider myself a specialist in this domain neither. For I am the type that would probably do a mini myni mo or draw lots in making crucial decisions :-). So yesterday when a good friend of mine asked for my advice on a career decision move, I knew it was way out of my league.

She's one of the talented and intelligent person I know. And for one, she would never occupy that VP post in a big shipping corporation if she'st not well deserving. But she wanted to quit and leave everything she has worked hard for for years. I listened to her most of the time, I knew she needed someone to listen to her. And when it was my time to talk I just told her not to make any hasty move at the height of our emotions that she will regret afterwards. She thanked me and felt relieved afterwards. I am really glad to be of help.

Well she's not called Charlotte, but I do hope this edition of my Friday Dose of Chocolate will give her some dose of encouragement and happy thoughts.

I'll be sending over this Chocolate Charlotte with berries to Susan of Food Blogga, the lovely host of Sugar High Friday, playing along with berries .






Chocolate Charlotte with Berries

about 22 pieces of ladyfinger biscuits
about 15 g of gelatine powder
about 1/4 cup of raspberry coulis

150 g of dark chocolate

25 cl of heavy cream (very cold)

25 g of sugar

some ice
half a cup of raspberry syrup (or any berry syrup)

Start by warming up in a casserole hlaf of the raspberry syrup then add the gelatine powder. Cut the fire and pour in the raspberry coulis, mix well. Melt the chocolate in bain marie set aside. Whisk the cold heavy cream (you can put some ice on it) to make your cream chantilly. Add little by little your sugar. Fold in delicately the melted chocolate and the raspberry mixture. Dip lightly your ladyfinger biscuits on half of the remaining raspberry syrup and assemble it on your charlotte mold. If you prefer you can also make smaller charlotte using ramekin. Line up your dipped biscuits on the side of your mold, then pour your chocolate raspberry mixture. Refrigerate it for 24 hours. Decorate the top with berries of your choice.

Some Charlotte facts:

Charlotte is a typical chilled dessert with sponge cake or biscuits. It is normally serve cold during summer. You can vary you charlotte by putting bavarian cream, purée with gelatin or even chocolate mousse. You can also do some savory if you want. Its origin is vague, some claim it originated from the English word "charlyt" which means a dish of custard. While others claim it was named after Queen Charlotte the wife of King George III.



Try my other berries recipes:

Mango Blueberry Opera Cake
Home-made yogurt with red fruits
Poached pears with wild thymes and raspberries

40 comments:

Manggy said...

Good luck to your friend, Dhanggit :) Beautiful charlotte! Why do the blackberries look frosty?

Chibog in Chief said...

because they are fresh from the fridge LOL ..was it too obvious..you know i needed to take the photo before sunset ..is it pardonnable??

:-)

K and S said...

yummy! I thought they were frozen berries :)

ChichaJo said...

It looks so cute Dhanggit! I'm sure it was yummy too and cheered your friend up :)

Anonymous said...

I thought they were sugared berries. You shoulod have told nosy Manggy that it was a very complicated technique to sugar them. He would have spent weeks trying to figure it out! :-)

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

Can I have one of these? I sure could use it, being Friday and all. ;)

Oh, dhanggit, I do think we signed up for recipemuncher already. Thanks!

Sylvia said...

You are a good friend Dhanngit and I wish luck to your friend. Love the charlotte , looks delicious as usual...I tagged you for a meme ,if you want participate the rules are in my blog

Anonymous said...

The mini charlottes are very cute!

Adam said...

This dessert looks very refreshing. I like how it is served cold and with chilled berries. I think it's perfect for July.

Thanks for the Charlotte history lesson. I even learned something :)

tigerfish said...

They look so pretty !!! and worth every bite. One bite to finish the whole :D ...

Jescel said...

listening is a gift. a lot of people don't know how to listen. sometimes, we don't have to say anything, just listen and that's enough.... your friend has some "scary" decision to make, but i hope that all turns out well.. as for charlotte, this is a cute little package. Can I possible put everything all at once in my mouth? LOL!

Clumbsy Cookie said...

This is so darling!

Brilynn said...

That's gorgeous! I love how pretty Charlottes are.

Peter M said...

Fresh berries, syrup, Savoiardi cookies and a little red bow...all for me? I'm touched! lol

Anonymous said...

so pretty and petite. love your photos!

Oggi said...

I have to say it looks mighty pretty and yummy!:)

Stephanie said...

That looks so beautiful!

kellypea said...

Your friend is lucky to have your "ears." Those decisions are so very challenging. Love the presentation of your cold charlotte. The berries are simply gorgeous.

kala said...

We were 'neighbors' in Aix for about a year, I guess... numerous kitchen disasters would have been avoided if I'd known you back then! This recipe looks delicious, but I'm never going to be able to make it, so I'll drool over the photos instead :D
-Kala

Anonymous said...

i wanted to ask also why the berries look frosty...so they're fresh from the fridge:) looks lovely like this! and yummy too!

Gloria Baker said...

Absolutely belle,tres belle, dear!!! Loves berries (I made a raspberries Ice cream! yummy) xxGloria

Susan from Food Blogga said...

How could this not make her feel better? I'm sure it tastes as delectable as it looks. It's going to be a lovely addition to SHF. Thanks, Dhanggit!

La Bella Cooks said...

What a gorgeous little dessert. I think that would make anyone feel better!

Cakelaw said...

These are just sooooooo cute - a dessert that you want to pcik up and hug.

Emily said...

It's so beautiful! I've never made a charlotte before.

I wish your friend well!

Unknown said...

simply beautiful.... :)

Beachlover said...

your ladyfinger berries remind me of mine tiramisu!! Look so good!!

Anonymous said...

dhanggit, how wonderfully meticulous you are! i love the presentation of this. it's beautiful :)

Half Baked said...

Simply divine! beautiful presentation!

Lore said...

Refreshhhhhhing! My taste buds are dying to test it out.
Hope your friend will make the right decision for her.

Leslie said...

You had me at "chocolate"!

Katie said...

Yum! That looks delicious. Great blog!

Anonymous said...

Yum.. berries!!! And frosty too. I like to put fruits in the freezer for a little bit sometimes before enjoying them. Shhh.. don't tell anyone. ;-)

I love your charlotte, it's simply gorgeous! It would have been great if your friend was a charlotte too. hehe

Anonymous said...

So sweet, the dessert and the gesture ;)

Sacha said...

Bonjour Hilda !
Aimant tout ce que tu cuisines je te décerne le prix : Arte y pico !les régles de ce prix se trouvent sur mon blog :http://lejournalgourmanddesacha.blogspot.com/
Je te souhaite une super journée
A++SACHA

A Scientist in the Kitchen said...

Love that Charlotte! And nice pictures. Haven't tried making one myself yet.

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is tough to give advice, especially when it comes to work. Hope it all works out well for your friend!

Lovely desserts, as always. You are really a great friend and an amazing baker!

Sue said...

You are an artist!

Alexa said...

Your friend is lucky to have you and that dessert is beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful looking Charlottes! I think charlottes in general always look so noble :)