Skip to main content
Dessert

Charlotte Russe

A chilled custard dessert made with isinglass, milk, egg yolks, sugar, cream, egg whites, vanilla, and lined with sponge cake.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 8 ingredients
Jump to recipe ↓

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Charlotte Russe

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the base

  1. Dissolve the isinglass in the milk.

  2. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together.

  3. Whip the cream to a froth.

  4. Beat the egg whites to a froth.

  5. Strain the isinglass into the yolk mixture.

Assemble and set

  1. Add the cream and egg whites.

  2. Beat lightly.

  3. Flavor with vanilla and chill until slightly thickened.

  4. Line the molds with sponge cake, pour in the cream mixture, and freeze for 5 to 6 hours.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  3. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  4. Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together12,301 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  5. Milk + creamtop 18% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together29,399 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Isinglass
Gelatin-like setting agent that firms the custard so it holds its shape when chilled.
Egg yolks
Enrich the custard and add richness and a smooth, creamy texture.
Egg whites
Whipped to a froth, they add lightness and airy volume to the mousse.
Cream
Whipped to a froth, it adds richness and a light, creamy texture.
Sugar
Sweetens the custard and helps balance the richness of the eggs and cream.

The step that matters

Strain the isinglass into the yolk mixture. Isinglass must be fully dissolved before it is added. If it is still lumpy or has begun to set, it will not blend evenly, leaving uneven firmness or specks. Straining removes any undissolved bits so the mixture sets smoothly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

More charlotte russe recipes

Pineapple 6Chocolate 5 See all 408 →

You might also like

Vanilla Ice CreamVanilla Ice Cream108 recipesWhite CakeWhite Cake431 recipesPound CakePound Cake373 recipesOrange Bundt CakeOrange Bundt Cake349 recipes