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Dessert

Damson Charlotte

A fruit charlotte made with damsons, Swiss milk custard, and bread, set with gelatin and served with custard.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Damson Charlotte

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the bread

  1. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of Swiss milk in 1 pint of water in a flat round cake tin.

  2. Cut the crumb of the French loaf into fingers, ½ inch thick.

  3. Soak each piece in the milk.

  4. Arrange the soaked pieces around the tin, using a bit of butter to help them stick.

  5. Cut a round of bread to fit the bottom and soak it.

  6. Place the soaked bread in the tin.

Make the fruit filling

  1. Combine the damsons with their juice and 1 oz. of gelatin soaked in cold water until soft.

  2. Simmer until the damsons are soft and the gelatin is melted.

  3. Remove the stones.

  4. Pour the mixture into the tin, ensuring the bread pieces stay in place.

Top, set and serve

  1. Cut another round of bread, soak it in the milk and place it on top of the fruit.

  2. Press down with a saucer and a 2 lb. weight.

  3. Let it cool and set.

  4. Carefully turn out the charlotte.

  5. Serve with custard.

  6. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of Swiss milk in 1 pint of water.

  7. Mix a little of this with the custard powder until smooth.

  8. Bring the rest of the milk and water to a boil.

  9. Stir in the custard powder and stir for 1 minute.

  10. Let it cool before pouring over the charlotte.

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

What each ingredient does

Damsons
Provide the main fruit flavour, tartness and moisture for the filling.
Gelatine
Sets the cooked fruit juice so the charlotte holds its shape when turned out.
Swiss milk
Soaks the bread, softening it and adding sweetness and richness.
French loaf
Forms the structural bread shell that holds the fruit in shape.
Custard powder
Thickens the milk and water into a smooth sauce served over the charlotte.

The step that matters

Soak the bread evenly and press it in place. Bread that is under-soaked stays dry and may not seal against the fruit, while over-soaked bread turns soft and collapses. Even soaking and firm pressing help the charlotte hold its shape when set and turned out.

“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.

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