Ladyfingers wrap mousse with dollops of whip cream adorning the top and drops of raspberries…this, my friends, is Charlotte Russe.

This dessert is a mouthful of Sweet Serendipity!

Hi, Carmen here! Welcome to my blog, Baking is my Zen.

In pastry class at The French Culinary Institute in New York City ~ we made a Raspberry and Chocolate Charlotte Russe. The texture of the ladyfingers contrasting with the mousse makes for a dynamic dessert.

What is a Charlotte Russe?

“Charlotte Russe is a special type of charlotte, which references the Russian Czar Alexander I, (Russe is French for Russian). This particular version was the creation of Marie Antoine Carême, and invented in the early 19th century. Carême was a renowned French chef, in the employ of the Czar. There are some differing accounts on who created the recipe for Charlotte Russe, when it occurred, and who it was truly named after. Some suggest that Carême was merely improvising on a recipe long known and created for Queen Charlotte of England, and yet others say the dessert was named after a sister in law of Alexander I, who was also named Charlotte.

No matter what the origin, Charlotte Russe today is typically considered a molded French dessert made by lining a bowl, or small individual cups with soft ladyfingers. Madelines may be suggested in some recipes instead. The mold is then filled with Bavarian cream, a gelatin thickened vanilla pudding. Once the whole dessert has chilled, it is inverted onto a dish. The presentation, provided the custard is dense and not runny, can be exciting. Cutting into layers of the mold reveal beautiful ladyfinger cake surrounding the layer of vanilla pudding.”

You can find the Charlotte Russe Recipe in the textbook,

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Pastry Arts.

Or, you can use a similar recipe available online…

Chocolate Charlotte Recipe

Easy French Food

Lloyd Gould, is an FCI Pastry Arts student.
Here he is making Biscuit a la cuillere (or, simply, ladyfingers).

Lloyd making the Biscuit batter with team member Shamul (on left).

Lloyd listens as Chef Rebecca Kaiser

demonstrates how to pipe mousse into a glass.

Here I am with Lloyd. He is in today’s STUDENT SPOTLIGHT.

For my FCI pastry class blog posts, I like to include a ‘Student Spotlight”. It’s wonderful to get to know the students and learn of their hobbies and interests.

FCI STUDENT SPOTLIGHT * Lloyd Gould

Hi, I'm Lloyd and here's a little bit about me...

Born in Boston.

Grew up on Cape Cod, MA

Family: Mother, Father and younger brother

College couldn't come soon enough! Attended Hofstra University on Long Island where I studied Entrepreneurship and Marketing which has allowed me to be very flexible in my job choice.

I've been with my girlfriend Stephanie for two years and we're in the process of moving to Hoboken, New Jersey together.

Played more soccer and lacrosse in high school/college than I care to remember (maybe I can't remember because of all the headers in soccer!)

I like to consider myself a bit of a music collector and my tastes can honestly range from classical to pop, jazz to rap, and anything that has soul and character.

I'm fairly certain that if Mexican food was the only food left on the planet I would be completely fine. I've spent the past 4 years searching for the best burrito, and I would say that if you need to use a fork when eating, find a new place to eat!

I wouldn't consider myself a bookworm, but I've been known to find a good book and disappear for a while.

My favorite pastime would easily be baseball. Football is good just to pass the time until baseball season starts. Being a Red Sox fan in NY has definitely been an adventure!

I've also been fortunate enough to travel to quite a few countries around the world, and I have a trip to

Spain

planned in March with my girlfriend Stephanie. On these trips I've tried my hand at travel writing and photography. I was also able to keep a blog so I understand all the hard work it takes in creating and maintaining a blog!

Lloyd’s Photos: : http://gallery.me.com/lloydgould
Lloyd’s Blog: Places In Between - http://placesinbetweenphoto.blogspot.com/

I just completed my first month of work as a Specialist at Apple on Fifth Avenue in New York City and it has been one of the most rewarding experiences in a job. So, if you ever have any questions about what computer is best for you, come find me!

What brings me to FCI?

I realized after this past summer that I didn't want to spend the rest of my working days sitting in a cubicle. I had already done the business studies to back up a business, and all I needed was the right kind of business. Deciding to go to FCI took a bit of thought, but I can happily say it has been a very good decision. I've always had a soft spot for delicious desserts and what better way to indulge those cravings than learn how to make those sweets!

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What’s happening in the

French Culinary Institute’s

Pastry Kitchen…