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■A round of waxed paper
■A 2-quart cylindrical mold about 4 inches high and 7 inches in diameter, lined with ladyfingers
■1½ pints fresh strawberries or raspberries
■A wire whip or electric beater
■A 3-quart stainless steel mixing bowl
■2/3 cup instant sugar (very finely granulated)
■8 egg yolks
■A pan of not-quite-simmering water
■A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them
■2½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream
■A 4-quart metal bowl
■A chilled beater
■Extra ladyfingers, if needed
■A round of waxed paper
■A chilled serving dish
■1-3 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries


Ladyfingers

for 24 to 30 ladyfingers
■2 12×14 inch baking sheets
■1 Tbsp Softened butter
■Flour
■A pastry bag with a round tube opening 1/2 inch in diameter
■1½ cups powdered sugar in a sieve or a shaker

Preheat oven to 300°F degrees.

Prepare the baking sheets: butter lightly, dust with flour, and knock off excess flour. Assemble the pastry bag. Prepare the powdered sugar. Measure out all the rest of the ingredients listed in the recipe.

The Batter
■An electric beater or a wire whip
■½ cup granulated sugar
■3 egg yolks
■1 tsp Vanilla extract
■A 3-quart mixing bowl
■3 Eggs whites
■Pinch of salt
■1 Tbsp granulated sugar
■A rubber spatula
■½ cup all-purpose flour (scooped and leveled), turned into a flour sifter

Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks, add the vanilla, and continue beating for several minutes until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and forms ribbons.

Beat the egg whites and salt together in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

Scoop one fourth of the egg whites over the top of the egg yolks and sugar mixture. Sift on one fourth of the flour, and delicately fold in until partially blended. Then add one third of the remaining egg whites, sift on one third of the remaining flour, fold until partially blended, and repeat with half of each, then the last of each. Do not attempt to blend the mixture too thoroughly or you will deflate the batter; it must remain light and puffy.

Forming the ladyfingers

Scoop batter into pastry bag. Squeeze out even lines onto the prepared baking sheets, making finger shapes 4 inches long and 1½ inches wide, spaced 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with a 1/16-inch layer of powdered sugar. To dislodge some of the excess sugar, hold baking sheet upside down and tap the back of it gently; the ladyfingers will not budge unless you are rough with them.

Baking the ladyfingers

Bake in the middle and upper third levels of preheated oven for about 20 minutes. The ladyfingers are done when they are a very pale brown underneath their sugar coating. They should be slightly crusty outside, and tender but dry inside. If they are not baked enough, they will become soggy when they cool; overbaking makes them dry. As soon as they are done, remove from baking sheets with a spatula and cool on cake racks.

Place the round of waxed paper in the bottom of the unbuttered mold. Then line the sides of the mold (not the bottom) with upright ladyfingers.

Charlotte Chantilly

Hull, wash, and drain the berries. Force them through a sieve and into a bowl. Measure out 1¼ cups of puree. Chill.

Beat the sugar into the egg yolks and continue beating until mixture is pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Then place the mixing bowl over the not-quite-simmering water and beat until mixture has thickened into a cream and becomes uncomfortably hot for your finger. Set bowl in ice water and beat until mixture is cold and falls back upon itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface; fold with a spatula until chilled.

When the egg yolk mixture has chilled, beat the cream until it has doubled in volume and forms stiff (rather than soft) peaks.

Fold the chilled strawberry or raspberry puree into the chilled egg yolk mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Turn into the mold. Place ladyfingers over the cream to fill the mold almost completely. Trim off any protruding ladyfingers around the edges of the mold. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, remove waxed paper, run a knife around the edge of the mold, and reverse dessert onto a chilled serving dish. Remove waxed paper. Decorate the top of the dessert with fresh berries and, if you wish, place more berries around the dessert

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