French food Friday - Charlotte au chocolat

First of all I apologise for my rough photo but I took it quickly before the rest of it was devoured. 

Let's just say it should come with a health warning as it is impossible to stop at one helping. Death by Chocolate Charlotte, what a way to go.

Sponge fingers  or boudoirs as they are called here in France, dipped in rum with a rich chocolate mousse is a lethal combination and after eating this, I assure you that  it will be difficult to eat chocolate mousse on it's own.

To be honest it took a bit of time and I wondered why I decided to make it as opposed to just making chocolate mousse but French Boyfriend raved about eating chocolate charlotte so I decided to see if I could make one that would live up to his expectations.

I used a charlotte mold and if you do not have one, we have a pair listed in our shop at present. You could use a deep round baking pan but just make sure you butter it well so that you can get it out of the mold or use a spring release type pan.

Charlotte au chocolat

INGREDIENTS
40-50 boudoirs (lady fingers)
1/2 cup rum or kirsch
230 grams/8 ounces good quality dark sweet cooking chocolate
1/4 cup milk
7 tablespoons butter
4 eggs (at room temperature)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup heavy cream (well chilled)

1. Lightly butter an 8 cup charlotte mold and line the bottom with wax paper to insure quick release.
2. Mix the rum with 1/2 cup cold water in a shallow dish. Working with one boudoir at a time (you don't want to leave them lying in the alcohol or they will disintegrate), quickly roll it in the alcohol and place it standing against the side of the charlotte pan with its curved side facing outward. Line the whole pan neatly in this fashion.
3. Separate the eggs. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and have the yolks ready to add to the chocolate mixture.
4. Using a double boiler, heat the chocolate and milk, blending until smooth with a wooden spoon (no need to boil the water in the double boiler for this - best just to keep it at a simmer). Add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, blending until smooth after each addition. Add in the egg yolks one at a time, blending well after each. Beat the mixture for several minutes with the wooden spoon until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat.
5. Beat the egg whites until stiff and then beat in the powdered sugar.
6. In another bowl beat the chilled cream until it forms soft peaks (you don't want this too stiff or it is hard to blend in to the other ingredients).
7. Blend the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and than fold in the egg whites. You want to end up with everything completely blended but a light hand is needed to keep things fluffy.

8. Pour the mousse into the prepared charlotte pan pushing on it sightly to make sure it fills the pan completely. Line the top of the pan with more boudoirs that have been briefly soaked in the kirsch mixture. You may want to add two layers of boudoirs to create a firm foundation for your chocolate mousse when you turn it over. 
9.Cover the cake with plastic wrap and place a weight on top of it (I use a pan that is just the size of the charlotte pan and put a heavy can of beans on top). Place in the refrigerator over night.
10. To serve, simply remove the plastic wrap and invert the charlotte on a serving plate. It should slide right out. Decorate as you wish - whipped cream, cherries, shaved chocolate - or just serve as is. 

Bon appetit! Leeann x