The Friday Baking Project

Pear Charlotte Royale

Yield: 1 Charlotte

# of Servings: 10

Difficulty:

Ingredients:

Poached Pears:

• 1 qt. cold water
• 1 ¼ cup (9 oz / 255 g) sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1 vanilla bean, split
• Zest from ½ lemon
• 2 to 3 Anjou or Bosc slightly soft pears

Jelly Roll and Cake Bottom:

• 2 x Basic Sponge Sheet or 1 Basic Sponge Sheet (double recipe)
•  â…“ cup raspberry preserves

Pear Bavarian Cream

• 1 cup (8 fl oz) heavy cream
• 1 tbl crème fraiche (optional)

• 5 large egg yolks
• 3 tbl (1 ½ oz / 43 g) sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 ½ cup pear poaching liquid, hot

• 4 gelatin (gold) leaves (.3 oz / 9 g) ¹
• Cold water, as needed

• 1 cup diced poached pears (from above)

Finishing:

½ cup apricot preserves

Sauce:

Raspberry Sauce

Tools and equipment needed:

• 1 small bowl (to form the Charlotte), approximately 7 ¾ “diameter, 2 ½â€œ height, 1 qt capacity
• 1 medium saucepan, about 2 qt capacity
• 1 medium and 1 large stainless bowl
• Dry and liquid measuring cups, measuring spoon set, scale
• Stand mixer with whip attachment, or handheld mixer, or hand whisk
• Fine mesh strainer, small offset spatula, heat-proof mixing spoon or spatula.
• Instant read thermometer

Directions:

Forming the jelly roll and lining the bowl:

1. Bake two basic sponge sheets. Let cool.
2. To form a jelly roll with the first sheet – turn one pan upside down so the sponge sheet falls onto a confectioners’ sugar dusted silpat or a sheet of parchment paper. Remove the parchment liner from the back of the sponge sheet.
3. Using small offset spatula, spread a thin layer of raspberry preserves over the sheet.
4. Starting on the long side, roll to a tight a tight roll. Cover with plastic film and set aside.
5. Turn out second sponge sheet onto silpat or parchment lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar.
6. Using the small bowl as a guide, cut a circle of cake the same diameter as the bowl. Wrap well and set aside.  Make a small jelly roll from part of this sponge sheet to use as necessary to fill the bowl, or for snacking.
7. Line the small bowl with a sheet of plastic film.
8. Slice the jelly roll into ½â€ slices. Place one slice in the center of the bowl and continue placing slices against each other, working your way to the top of the bowl. (See pics).
9. Continue until the bowl is completely lined with jelly roll slices, filling in any gaps with parts of a slice.
10. The bowl may be wrapped well in plastic film and frozen, along with the cake circle bottom, for up to two weeks. Keep frozen until ready to make the Bavarian.

Poached Pears:

1. In medium saucepan, make a poaching syrup by combining water, sugar, cinnamon stick, star anise, vanilla bean (with the inner seeds scraped into the syrup), and lemon peel. Stir to combine, and bring to boil over medium heat.
2. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Peel, core, and half the pears.
4. Place pear halves in the syrup and gently simmer until the pears are very tender. This could take between 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the ripeness of the pears. To test, remove a pear half, place on a plate, and insert and paring knife.
5. Remove from the heat, place on a heat-proof surface and let the pears totally cool in the syrup.
6. The pears may then be stored (in the syrup) in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Making the Pear Bavarian:

• Place a mixing bowl and hand whisk, or machine bowl and wire whip, in the refrigerator.
• Set a fine mesh strainer over a medium stainless bowl and have a larger bowl with filled about half way with ice and water. These will be used when straining and cooling the custard.
• Drain the diced poached pears of any liquid and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

1. In a chilled bowl, whip the cream and crème fraiche just until soft peaks. Place in the refrigerator.
2. Strain 1 ½ cups of the pear poaching liquid into a 2 qt saucepan and bring just to the boil. Keep warm on low flame.
3. Beat egg yolks with sugar and salt for 1 minute. There is no need to beat to ribbon stage.
4. Temper the egg yolks by slowly beating in about â…“ of the hot syrup, making sure to whisk the egg yolks as the hot syrup is being added.
5. Once the egg yolk mixture has been warmed, pour it into the saucepan, and keep stirring until it reaches 175 °F, or coats the back of a spoon.
6. Remove from the heat and pour through the strainer into the medium bowl.
7. Whisk the mixture to release some of the heat.
8. Soften the gelatin leaves by placing in small bowl with just enough water to cover. Squeeze the water out of softened leaves, add to the hot custard, and whisk vigorously to combine.
9. Place the bowl containing the mixture over the ice water and using a clean plastic spatula stir occasionally from the bottom to ensure even cooling and prevent lumps from forming (as the gelatin begins to set).
10. Cool just until the mixture begins to thicken, about 75 °F.
11. Gently whisk about ¼ of the cream into the Bavarian, then fold in remainder.
12. Spoon â…“ of the mold with Bavarian, sprinkle with â…“ of the diced pear, repeat with â…“ more filling and pear, finishing with Bavarian, leaving about ¼â€ on the top. Knock the bowl on the counter to ensure even distribution.
13. Place the cake circle on the top and using scissors, trim to fit just inside the jelly roll.
14. Cover with plastic film and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Unmolding and glazing:

1. Remove Bavarian bowl from refrigerator and place a flat serving dish over it.
2. Invert and use the plastic film to remove the Bavarian from the bowl.
3. Heat 1 cup of good quality apricot preserves until hot. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a smaller saucepan. Thin out with a few droplets of water if necessary to achieve a glaze consistency.
4. Brush the Bavarian with a thin coating of the apricot glaze.
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes:

1. Amazon carries gold gelatin leaf, including a beef-based version – HAODONG Beef Gold Leaf Gelatin Sheets – 200 Bloom.