CHARLOTTES, AMARETTI CHARLOTTE

The Silver Spoon, Phaidon Press

A charlotte is a dessert based on fruit and custard, which may be covered or encircled In sliced bread, lady fingers or sponge cake softened with fresh fruit juice, liqueur, tea or coffee.
Serves 6


Ingredients
• 1/2 cup sweet butter, softened
• generous 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 9 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 egg yolk
• scant 1 cup milk
• 5 tablespoons rum
• 14 ounces small amaretti

For the frosting
• 2 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter


Directions
Beat the butter with 1/2 cup of the sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Melt the chocolate with 2 tablespoons water in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water.

Beat the egg yolk with the milk in a small bowl, then stir into the melted chocolate. Stir in the butter mixture.

Mix the rum with 5 tablespoons water and the remaining sugar in another bowl.

Make a layer of amaretti in a dish and sprinkle with some of the rum mixture.
Make another layer of amaretti on top and sprinkle with the rum mixture again.
Continue making layers in this way until all the amaretti have been used.

Line the base and sides of a charlotte mold with some of the softened amaretti.

Pour in a little of the chocolate mixture and make alternating layers of amaretti and chocolate mixture, ending with a layer of amaretti.

Press down gently, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.

To make the frosting, put the chocolate, sugar, butter and 1 tablespoon water in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir until melted and combined, then remove from the heat.

Turn out the charlotte and spread with the frosting.

If you want to make the frosting shiny, put the charlotte in a hot oven for a minute.