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Six Savoys
Two ounces of Ratafias.
Half a pint of Milk.
Half an ounce of French Gelatine.
The Yolks of four Eggs.
Two ounces of dried Cherries.
Half a gill of Cream.
One ounce of Castor Sugar.
One teaspoonful of Essence of Vanilla.
Ornament the bottom of a pint mould with the cherries and angelica. Split the savoys in half, and line the sides of the mould round with them very evenly, arranging hem alternately back and front next the tin. Put in the ratafias. Put four yolks of eggs into a basin, stir in the milk, pour this mixture into a jug, stand it in boiling water, and stir until it thickens, taking care that it does not curdle. Melt the gelatine in a little water, and strain it into the custard. When it is cool, add the cream, vanilla, and sugar, mix well, and pour carefully into the mould to the cakes. Put the mould on ice or in a cool place to set. When set, turn out and serve.
This is a charlotte russe in miniature: a pint mould lined with split sponge fingers and filled with a gelatine-set custard. The ingredient list is incomplete — the six savoys of the title and the angelica both appear in the method but not in the list.
- The hinge: the custard must not boilYolks and milk are cooked in a jug standing in boiling water, which is a bain-marie by another name. Stir constantly and pull it off at about 175F/80C, when it coats the back of a spoon; past that the yolks scramble and no amount of straining will save the texture.
- Savoy biscuitsThese are sponge fingers — the same thing sold today as ladyfingers or boudoirs. Six will line a small mould if split lengthwise; trim one end square so they stand level and the charlotte sits flat when turned out.
- RatafiasSmall, hard almond macaroons about the size of a hazelnut, still sold in Britain as ratafia biscuits. Amaretti, broken up, are the closest widely available substitute.
- MeasuresA gill is a quarter of an imperial pint, so half a gill is 2.5 fl oz, a little more than a quarter cup. The half pint of milk is 10 fl oz imperial, and the pint mould holds 20 fl oz — just under 600 ml (568 ml).
- French gelatineHalf an ounce is roughly 14 g, generous for this volume, possibly reflecting the variable strength of nineteenth-century gelatine. Modern powdered or leaf gelatine at 8-10 g will set a pint firmly enough to unmould without turning the cream rubbery. Soften it, dissolve it in a little warm water, and strain it in while the custard is still warm or it will set in threads.
- Angelica and dried cherriesCandied angelica stem, cut into diamonds and leaves, was a standard green in Victorian decoration; it is now a specialist item and candied citron or pistachio can stand in. The "dried cherries" here probably mean candied or glace cherries rather than the modern sour dried fruit.
- Setting and turning outFour hours in the refrigerator, or overnight. Dip the mould in warm water for three or four seconds only, then invert onto a chilled plate.
- YieldA pint mould serves four, or six in small portions after a substantial dinner.
The savoy biscuit takes its name from the House of Savoy, whose court is traditionally credited with the light egg-and-sugar sponge finger later adopted across Europe; by the nineteenth century English confectioners were piping and drying them by the tray. Lining a mould with them and filling the centre with a set cream is the charlotte russe, a form generally traced to Antonin Carême in the early 1800s and by the later nineteenth century apparently so thoroughly domesticated in British cookery that a professional manual could set it down in six lines without naming it at all. The ratafias buried in the middle are the older survival here: almond macaroons said to be named for the sweetened cordial they were once served alongside, and one common way of giving a bland custard a note of almond before bottled essences were reliable. That this appears in a high-class cookery course says something about the period's priorities — the dish is mostly milk, eggs and sugar, and nearly all its value lies in the neatness of the lining and the cleanliness of the turn-out.