Ingredients
1 9-Cup Charlotte mold
60-70 ladyfingers - best quality please!
2 C. whole milk or 1/2-n-1/2
1 C. apricot preserves
1 1/2 C. mixed dried fruit: currants, diced dried pears,golden raisins, dried apricots.
4 egg yolks
1/3 C. brown sugar
1 whole egg
1/2 C best quality dark rum (NOT spiced!)
1 t. vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
To serve:
Quart strawberries
1 C whipping cream
Preparation
Line bottom of Charlotte pan with buttered parchment paper.
Rinse dried fruit under hot water.
Heat dried fruit in a saucepan with the 1/2 C. rum and 1 C. water. Simmer 5 min.
Drain the fruit and reserve the liquid.
Mix the fruit/rum liquid with 1/2 C. water in a pie plate. Quickly place a ladyfinger in the liquid, about 2 seconds per side. You’ll need around 45 ladyfingers for this step. Reserve the rest dry.
Line the bottom of the Charlotte pan with lady fingers: trim with scissors and then patch the open places with the scraps. Line the sides of the mold with the ladyfingers in a vertical position.
Beat the egg, egg yolks, and the brown sugar in a stand mixer until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla.
Bring the milk to a boil and then, with the mixer running on medium, pour the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture in a thin, steady stream to make a thin custard.
ladle 1/3 C. of custard into the Charlotte pan. Sprinkle with fruit and dot with jam. place 3 or 4 ladyfingers on top and pour 1/3 C. more custard. Top with fruit and jam. Continue until you reach near the top of the pan - ending with ladyfingers. Pour over any remaining custard.
Trim off protruding cookie ends.
Bake in a Bain Marie at 325 F for 50 minutes.
Remove from oven, let cool in the pan, then chill in the pan.
To serve:
Puree the strawberries with 2 T. of sugar and strain out the seeds. Whip the cream with a bit of vanilla and sugar.
Unmold the dessert onto a broad plate. Pipe with the whipped cream in a pretty pattern. Serve with the strawberry sauce.
This dessert keeps for 2 days in the pan (so you can make it ahead).
