Pear Charlotte Recipes

PEAR CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet, combine pears, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and lemon juice and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft and juicy, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to high and continue cooking until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, combine butter, remaining tablespoon sugar, and cinnamon; mix until smooth.
• Lay the side of a 5-ounce ramekin on top of the bread, and cut bread into pieces that are 1/2 inch thicker than the height of the ramekin. Turn each piece on its side and slice 3/8 inch thick.
• Butter one side of each piece of brioche with the cinnamon-sugar butter. With a long side of the bread closest to you, cut each slice vertically into 4 equal pieces. Line only the sides of the ramekins with the brioche pieces, buttered side against the ramekins. Bread should fit snugly around ramekins without any gaps.
• Divide pear mixture evenly between each ramekin, pressing down to compact. Using a serrated knife, trim off any bread that extends above the rim of the ramekins.
• Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake until tops are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes, and then invert onto individual plates to unmold. Drizzle custard sauce around each charlotte and top with chantilly cream. Serve warm.

PEAR CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Put the pear slices in a large saute pan with 2/3 cup sugar, the salt, pear liqueur, and lemon juice. Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the pears are soft. Set aside to cool.
• Place the butter, the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the cinnamon in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the mixture until it is smooth.
• Butter each piece of brioche with the cinnamon butter. With the long side of the bread closest to you, cut each slice into 3 pieces. Line the sides of the ramekins with the brioche pieces, buttered-side against the ramekin.
• Compactly fill the inside of each ramekin with about 1/4 cup of the pear mixture. Trim off any brioche that sticks up above the ramekin.
• Bake the charlottes for 15 to 20 minutes, until the brioche is toasted.
• Spoon some of the vanilla custard sauce on 4 plates, and unmold the charlottes on top.
• Top each with a dollop of creme fraiche.
• Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel mixing bowl until
• creamy. Set aside.
• Put the milk and the vanilla extract or vanilla bean in a heavy-bottomed saucepot. Scald the milk, and slowly whisk it into the egg mixture. Put the bowl over a pot of simmering water and cook the custard, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken. It should coat the back of the wooden spoon. Do not let it boil.
• Cool the custard sauce over an ice bath. Strain and refrigerate until ready to use. Custard sauce will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.

EASY PEAR CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add pears, sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pears are very soft and most liquid has evaporated, 20 to 25 minutes; remove from heat.
• Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter; set 1 tablespoon aside. Working with one slice at a time, brush butter onto bread, and arrange, buttered side down, along the sides of a 5-to-6-cup ovenproof bowl, overlapping slightly. Cover bottom with a single slice of bread. Reserve remaining bread to cover fruit.
• Fill lined bowl with pear mixture, mounding in center (fruit will settle during baking). Cover all with remaining bread slices; trim to fit tightly to edges of bowl. Brush with reserved butter, and press in firmly, sealing edges.
• Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes in pan; turn out onto serving plate. Sift confectioners' sugar over the top. Use two large spoons to divide charlotte into pieces, and serve with lightly whipped cream.

PEAR AND FIG CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Make the fruit mixture: Drain the pears. Separate 7 ounces, about 4 pear halves, into a small bowl, and set aside for Poire Williams cream; place remaining pears in a large bowl (a deep bowl is best).
• Bring water, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla bean pulp to a boil in a medium saucepan or the microwave. Remove syrup from heat, and pour it over pears in large bowl. Press a piece of waxed paper against pears to submerge them; if the paper alone isn't enough to submerge pears in syrup, place a plate on top of the waxed paper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut figs into small cubes (about 1/4 inch on a side), and put them in a small saucepan. Cover with water, and bring just to a boil. Transfer figs and water to a container, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Make the soaking syrup: Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan or the microwave. Remove from heat, and when the syrup is cool, stir in Poire Williams.
• Make the cake: If using the Ladyfinger Batter, follow the recipe, piping the batter into two 9-inch disks and two 8-inch bands of 4-inch-long ladyfingers, baking, and cooling.
• Make the Poire Williams cream filling: Puree reserved 7 ounces drained pears in a blender or food processor; set aside. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and have at the ready a smaller bowl and a fine-mesh strainer.
• Bring milk to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk sugar and yolks together in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about one-third of the boiling milk. Once yolks are acclimated to heat, whisk in the rest of the milk in a slow, steady stream. Place saucepan over medium heat, and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, cook cream filling until it reaches 180 degrees, as measured on an instant-read thermometer, less than 5 minutes. (Alternatively, to check if cream has cooked long enough, stir the cream filling, and then draw your finger down the spatula or the bowl of the wooden spoon; if the cream doesn't run into the track you've created, it's done.) The cream filling will not thicken much. Immediately remove saucepan from heat, and allow cream filling to rest for 2 minutes. Strain into the small reserved bowl, and stir in Poire Williams.
• Sprinkle gelatin over water, and allow it to rest until softened. Heat in the microwave oven for about 15 seconds, or cook over low heat, until gelatin dissolves. Stir gelatin into cream filling, and then gently stir in reserved pureed pears. Set the bowl in the ice bath, adding cold water to the ice cubes, and, stirring from time to time, cool cream filling to about 70 degrees.
• To finish the filling, whip heavy cream until it holds medium, firm peaks, and fold it gently into the cream filling with a rubber spatula. The filling is now ready and should be used immediately.
• To finish the fruit mixture, remove and drain 3 of the remaining pears; pat them dry between paper towels, and cut them into cubes, about 1/2 inch on a side. Drain and pat dry the cubed figs. Combine fruits together.
• Place a piece of parchment paper on a cardboard cake round, and center an 8 3/4-inch-by-22-cm dessert ring on the paper; butter the inside of the ring. Cut the bands of ladyfingers lengthwise in half, and fit the halves around the interior of the ring, making certain that the biscuits' flat side faces in; you'll have a piece of band left over. Fit a ladyfinger disk into the bottom to form a base. (If you are using store-bought ladyfingers, cut the biscuits as necessary to form a band and base.) Brush the ladyfinger disk and band with the soaking syrup, using enough syrup to thoroughly moisten the cake.
• Spoon enough cream filling into the biscuit-lined ring to form a layer that comes about halfway up the ladyfinger band, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Cover with the cubed fruit and then another layer of filling, this time coming almost to the top of the ring, and again using the spatula to get an even layer. Top with the second ladyfinger disk, and moisten disk with some soaking syrup (you may have soaking syrup left over). Cover the disk with a thin layer of filling (you may also have filling left over -- it makes a fine dessert on its own or served with cookies), and set the cake into the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours. (At this point, the cake, covered airtight, can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.)
• To finish: Remove the dessert ring, but keep the cake on the cardboard round for maneuverability.
• Slice the remaining pears from the blossom to stem end, and arrange in overlapping concentric circles over the top of the cake. If using fresh figs, slice them from blossom to stem end and slip into the arrangement. Serve the cake now or keep it in the refrigerator, loosely covered, until ready to serve.

CARAMEL PEAR CHARLOTTES WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Make charlottes:
• Peel and core pears and cut into 1/4-inch dice. With a knife halve vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a small bowl. In a dry 5-quart heavy kettle cook sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, gently swirling kettle, until deep golden. Remove kettle from heat and carefully add pears and vanilla bean pod and seeds (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook mixture over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved and pears are tender but still hold their shape, about 15 minutes. Drain pear mixture in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve any pear juices for sauce. Discard vanilla bean pod.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Butter bread slices on 1 side. Using 12 slices of bread, cut 6 bread rounds to fit in bottoms of six 2/3-cup charlotte molds or ramekins and cut 6 rounds the same size as tops of molds or ramekins. Discard crusts from remaining 8 bread slices and cut slices into 1 1/4-inch-wide strips. Put bottom rounds, buttered sides down, in molds or ramekins and arrange strips vertically, buttered sides against insides of molds or ramekins, slightly overlapping and pressing them gently to adhere. Trim any overhang flush with rims. Divide pear mixture among molds or ramekins and top with remaining rounds, buttered sides up, pressing gently. Charlottes may be made up to this point 3 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
• Bake charlottes on a baking sheet in middle of oven until bread is golden, about 25 minutes.
• Make sauce:
• In a dry 5-quart heavy kettle cook sugar over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork (to help sugar melt evenly), until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel, without stirring, gently swirling kettle, until deep golden. Remove kettle from heat and carefully add cream, butter, and any reserved pear juices (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Simmer mixture, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and stir in poire William. Invert charlottes onto 6 plates and spoon sauce over them.

PEAR AND RAISIN CHARLOTTE

Steps:

• Use some of the softened butter to lightly coat a five- to six-cup charlotte mold, souffle dish or deep round baking dish. Put the raisins in a dish and add the rum.
• Melt the remaining softened butter in a large, heavy skillet. Add the pears and sugar and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, until the pears have softened almost to a puree and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Stir in vanilla, the raisins and rum. Continue cooking over low heat another 10 minutes or so, until the mixture forms a thick puree. Adjust sweetening to taste. Remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut eight of the bread slices in half to form rectangles and the rest in half diagonally. Heat some of the clarified butter in a skillet and saute the pieces of bread until they are golden brown on one side only, adding more butter as needed.
• Fit the triangles, sauteed side down, in the bottom of the baking dish so they fit exactly. Trim away any excess and reserve. Arrange the rectangles, sauteed side out, around the sides of the dish, overlapping slightly. Fill the center with the pear mixture and, if necessary, trim the bread rectangles to be level with the fruit. Scatter all trimmings on top.
• Cover the top with foil and bake about 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for an hour. Unmold the charlotte. Serve with whipped cream, creme fraiche or custard sauce.

INDIVIDUAL PEAR CHARLOTTES

Steps:

• Place an 11-inch, high-sided skillet or saute pan over high heat. Add half the pears and 1/3 cup sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pears are soft and just beginning to turn golden, 12 to 20 minutes (cooking time will vary depending on the type of pears and their ripeness). Remove skillet from heat, and transfer pears to a large bowl to cool. Repeat process with the remaining pears and 1/3 cup sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Whisk in cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and set aside.
• Cut the crusts from the bread. Cut each slice into three 1-by-2 1/4-inch strips. Discard the scraps, or save for making breadcrumbs. Generously brush one side of the bread strips with the butter mixture. Leaving the bottom open, line the sides of the jumbo muffin-tin cups with overlapping pieces of bread, with the buttered side facing out, against the tin, pressing as you go.
• Pack about 1 cup pear mixture into each muffin tin, making sure the pears are flush with the top of the tin and the bread slices. Place the tins in the oven, and bake until the bread is golden brown on the outside, about 20 minutes. Transfer the muffin tins to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Unmold the charlottes by inverting onto a baking sheet or cutting board. Serve immediately with vanilla bean creme anglaise and blackberry compote.

CARAMELIZED PEAR CHARLOTTES WITH PERSIMMON

Steps:

• Peel and core pears and cut into sixths. In a small non-stick skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter over moderately high heat until foam begins to subside and sauté pears, turning occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sugar over pears and cook, stirring once or twice, until golden brown and caramelized, about 1 minute.
• In a food processor or blender purée pears until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Pear purée may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a small saucepan melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Cut 2 bread slices into rounds the same size as bottom of two 1/2-cup charlotte molds, ramekins, or custard cups and cut 2 bread slices into rounds the same size as tops of molds, reserving bread trimmings.
• In a small food processor grind trimmings fine and stir into pear purée.
• Brush smaller rounds on both sides with some melted butter and with them line bottoms of molds. Cut remaining 3 bread slices into 1-inch squares and discard crusts. Brush squares on both sides with some remaining butter and line sides of molds with them, overlapping slightly and pressing gently against side of mold.
• Divide enough pear purée between lined molds to fill them to within 1/8 inch of top. Brush remaining 2 bread rounds on both sides with remaining butter and top molds with them, pressing down gently but firmly to cover filling completely.
• Charlottes may be prepared up to this point 3 hours ahead and chilled, covered.
• Bake charlottes 20 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.
• While charlottes are baking, peel and core 2 persimmons and in food processor purée with lemon juice and additional sugar.
• Divide persimmon purée between 2 dessert plates and carefully invert charlottes onto it. Cut remaining persimmmon into wedges and arrange around charlottes.

PEAR CHARLOTTES WITH CHAMOMILE CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to boil in heavy small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Mix in raisins and rum. Let soak 1 hour. Drain raisins.
• Meanwhile, heat honey in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pears; sauté just until tender, about 2 minutes. Cool. Mix in raisins.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups, then sprinkle with sugar. Place cups on baking sheet. Place 8 bread slices on work surface. Cut out 1 round from each slice to fit cup bottoms. Line cup bottoms with bread rounds. Cut enough of remaining bread slices into strips wide enough to line cup sides; line cup sides completely with strips, cutting to fit. Cut enough of remaining bread into 1/2-inch cubes to measure 4 cups.
• Whisk cream, sugar, eggs, rum, and vanilla in large bowl to blend well. Add 4 cups bread cubes and fruit mixture; stir to blend. Divide among prepared cups.
• Bake charlottes until center is puffed and set, about 55 minutes. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Warm in 350°F oven for 7 minutes.) Run knife around sides of charlottes. Invert onto plates. Spoon crème anglaise over warm charlottes.