Cranberry Pear Charlotte

Classic French Molded Dessert Features Flavors of Autumn Fruits

© Michael Vyskocil

Oct 21, 2009

The elegance of this Cranberry Pear Charlotte lies in its simplicity and its taste. Slices of white bread are brushed with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar and placed into muffin tins. The hollows inside the bread slices are filled with cooked pear slices and cranberries. As the charlottes bake, the heat from the oven transforms the soft bread into a crisp, golden crust.

Serve this dessert right from the oven, so that each bite carries a taste of warm bread and soft pear and cranberries. Garnish each individual serving with a topping of Créme Vanilla Sauce.

RECIPE

Cranberry Pear Charlotte

Serves 6

Ingedients:

• 10 Anjou or Bosc pears, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, washed well and dried
• 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 15 slices firm white or French bread
• Créme Vanilla Sauce
• Winter Fruit Compote (recipe follows)

Directions:

1. Heat a large, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add half the pears and 1/2 cup sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Add 3/4 cup cranberries to saucepan; continue to cook until cranberries pop open and the pears begin to brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, and transfer pears and cranberries to a large bowl. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining pears, 1/2 cup sugar and cranberries.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add the 2 tablespoons sugar and ground cinnamon to the melted butter, and set aside.
3. Remove the crusts from the bread slices. Cut each slice of bread into 1-by-2-inch strips. Discard any scraps, or reserve scraps for other uses. Generously brush one side of the bread strips with the melted butter mixture. Leaving the bottom of the muffin cups open, line the sides of the cups of a jumbo-muffin tin with the bread strips, overlapping the strips slightly and pressing them onto the sides of the cups. The buttered side of the bread strips should face outward.
4. Pack about 2/3 cup of the pear mixture into the center of the muffin cups, making sure the pear mixture is even with the tops of the bread strips. Transfer the muffin tin to the oven, and bake for 25 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on the outside. Place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Unmold the charlottes by inverting them onto a serving plate. Serve warm with Créme Vanilla Sauce and Winter Fruit Compote (recipe follows).

Winter Fruit Compote

Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped of seeds
• 1 McIntosh apple, cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 1 Bosc pear, cored and cut into 8 wedges
• 1/2 cup fresh cranberries, washed well and dried
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a medium skillet, combine the apple cider, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes.
2. Add the apple and pear wedges; turn to coat with the apple cider mixture. Add the cranberries. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until the fruit becomes tender (about 8 to 10 minutes), turning fruit occasionally.
3. Before serving, remove vanilla bean pod and discard. Stir in lemon juice. Serve warm.

Cranberry Pear Charlotte

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