Charlotte au chocolat, tutorial part 2

{edited Sunday, May 09, 2010: I won first place in a dessert contest this weekend with this very recipe!}

So... are you back for more?

If you haven't eaten all of your chocolate mousse already,
here's part 2 of our charlotte au chocolat tutorial.

Gather your final ingredients...
This is the easiest part!


Lady fingers, vanilla extract and a few cups of milk.
You will also need a charlotte mold that looks like the one below.

If you don't know what lady fingers are, they look like this...

They are very light, airy, crispy cookies - oblong shaped and coated on one side with sugar.

Now...

pour about a cup or two of milk in a bowl and add a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract.

Stir.

Take one lady finger and immerse her in the milk.

But only for a few seconds!

Pull her out, let her drip...

§

Start lining the outside of your mold.

Proceed to the bottom.

If some of your lady fingers break, no worries.

Use the little pieces to fill in some of the awkward spaces.

When you are finished covering the outside and bottom,
remember your chocolate mousse?

Well, slather a generous portion of that chocolate mousse on the bottom.

 Repeat many times until your charlotte runneth over - well, almost.

Lick wipe off your fingers between layers to avoid making a mess.

 Chill your charlotte for 3-4 hours, overnight if possible.

To unmold, slide a thin knife around the edge of your charlotte mold.

Place a plate on the open top of your mold and turn that baby upside down.

Voilà!

 She's a beauty.


Did I mention something about this possibly being an heirloom recipe?
Well, I did omit the secret family ingredient...

...which I will not unveil in this blog...

sorry my friends!
but believe me, it's yummy even without the secret ingredient!

and a special thank you to my beautiful mother-in-law Francine who is the queen of charlottes and taught me how to make this delectable treat