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Coffee Charlotte Russe (Prepare a charlotte russe)
Prepare a charlotte russe filling by adding to a pint of cream whipped stiff, two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and quarter of a box of gelatine which has been soaked one hour in three tablespoonfuls cold water and dissolved in two tablespoonfuls of boiling water. To this mixture put two tablespoonfuls of the very strongest coffee that can be made. It should really be the very essence of the berry. Beat in the gelatine slowly, with care not to break down the cream. Line a brick shaped mold with slices of angel cake and when the filling begins to thicken, turn it into the mold. Leave it in a very cold place until wanted. If possible, it is well to make it the day before it is to be eaten.
A gelatine-set whipped cream in a cake-lined mold, of the kind that stood or fell on how the gelatine was folded in. Everything here turns on temperature.
- The hinge: gelatine temperatureDissolved gelatine hitting cold whipped cream sets instantly into rubbery threads. Let it cool until it is barely warm to the finger but still fluid, then trickle it in while folding steadily, which is what the original means by beating it in slowly without breaking down the cream.
- Quarter of a box of gelatinePeriod boxes were not standardised, and figures from about one to two ounces per box are cited, subdivided into papers or envelopes. A quarter box may therefore mean anywhere from roughly one to two modern envelopes. Treat it as genuinely approximate and err under rather than over for a soft set.
- Soaking timeAn hour in cold water reflects the coarser gelatine of the day. Modern granulated gelatine blooms fully in five to ten minutes, and sheet gelatine faster still.
- Essence of the berryTwo tablespoons of coffee has to carry the whole dish, so drip coffee will taste of nothing. Use espresso, a double-strength moka pot brew, or cold-brew concentrate.
- A pint of creamTwo cups of heavy cream, whipped, roughly doubles in volume. The original says whipped stiff; stop at firm peaks rather than going beyond, since cream taken too far will not fold smoothly around the gelatine.
- SugarTwo tablespoons is restrained by modern taste, and the angel cake lining supplies most of the sweetness. Taste the coffee-cream before it sets and adjust then, since nothing can be done afterwards.
- The brick moldA 1 to 1 1/2 quart loaf pan is the right shape. Line it with plastic wrap before the cake slices so the finished brick lifts out cleanly; the cake should cover the base and sides with the seams butted tight.
- A very cold placeThe refrigerator, not the freezer. Six hours will set it, but the overnight rest the recipe recommends lets the cake soften into the filling and makes slicing far tidier.
- YieldA loaf pan of this gives six to eight slices. Cut with a thin knife wiped between cuts.
The charlotte russe is often said to have originated with Antonin Carême, though the attribution is traditional rather than documented, and by the late nineteenth century it had become one of the standard company desserts of the American table: whipped cream stiffened with gelatine, set in a mold lined with sponge. The classical lining is ladyfingers, and the substitution of angel cake here is a distinctly American touch, made practical by the popularity of angel food cake in the decades either side of 1900 and by the households that had egg whites to spare. The coffee flavouring belongs to the same moment, when strong coffee essence was a fashionable seasoning for creams and ices; the insistence on the very strongest brew is a reminder that flavour had to come from the pot rather than from a bottle of extract.