Lemon Charlotte

17/11/2023

Lemon Charlotte is a fresh and delicious dessert, perfect to conclude a meal with a touch of elegance. Here is the recipe with an Italian twist:

Ingredients

200 g of ladyfingers
4 organic lemons (zest grated and juice)
125 g of sugar
4 eggs
500 g of mascarpone
2 sheets of gelatin (or 4 g of powdered gelatin)
1 pinch of salt

For the soaking syrup:

100 ml of water
50 g of sugar
50 ml of limoncello (optional)

Preparation

Start with the syrup: in a small pot, bring the water and sugar to a boil, and after the sugar has dissolved, remove from the fire and let cool. Add limoncello if you wish to add a more intense lemon flavor and an alcoholic touch.
For the lemon cream: place the gelatin sheets in cold water for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, separate the egg yolks from the whites.
In a bowl, whisk the yolks with the sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture. Add the grated zest and the juice of the lemons and mix well.
Gently heat the lemon mixture in a double boiler, continuing to stir, to slightly thicken it (be careful not to cook the eggs). Squeeze the gelatin and incorporate it into the warm lemon mixture, stirring until completely dissolved.
Let the mixture cool down. Meanwhile, in another bowl, work the mascarpone to make it creamier and then gently fold it into the cooled lemon mixture.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff and gently fold them into the rest of the cream, mixing from the bottom up so as not to deflate the mixture.
Assembly: dip the ladyfingers slightly in the syrup and line the bottom and sides of a springform pan or a Charlotte mold. Pour half of the lemon cream, arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers, and then complete with the remaining cream.
Level the surface and let the Lemon Charlotte rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, better if overnight.
When serving, run a knife blade between the Charlotte and the edge of the mold to help unmold it, then transfer it onto a serving plate.

Curiosity

The history of the Charlotte dates back to 18th-century England, but the fruit version is typical of French cuisine. The original recipe used buttered bread and jam and was baked in the oven. The cold version, like the lemon one, is a modern and fresh evolution of the traditional recipe.