(Strawberry) Charlotte Sometimes

Any time I hear Charlotte I think of The Cure song, so I couldn't resist with the title of this post.  If you know me, you remember my Robert Smith phase.  I miss those days sometimes :)

As for charlottes, they are good any time, especially when strawberries are in season.  You can of course use other fruit.  This is similar to a strawberry short cake, but at the same time, different.

You'll need ladyfingers, those biscuits used for a tiramisu, as well as cream, gelatine, strawberries, icing sugar, whipping cream, vanilla, some water, and I used wild strawberry liqueur.  Alcohol always adds depth to otherwise bland treats.  I don't have exact measurements, but depending on the size of your charlotte mould, you can figure them out, and follow measurement suggestions on packages of the gelatine, depending on how much you'll be using.

Soak the biscuits in alcohol mixed with some water (much more alcohol than water), line the dish with flat sides facing in.  Dissolve a bit of icing sugar in boiling water, and then dissolve the gelatine in this liquid.

Whip up cream with vanilla, and add gelatine.  Then just fill in the lined mould with layers of strawberries and cream.  Cover with remaining ladyfingers, flat side facing up.  Chill over night, be sure to put something heavy on top, which will make for a firmer charlotte.  Next day, turn it out, and serve with a strawberry sauce, which you can make yourself, by simmering berries with sugar, and mashing or pressing through a sieve, or use a good quality strawberry jam and heat it up with a bit of water and liqueur.  This is a terrific alternative to a strawberry short cake, and it really is a perfect summer treat.