Why is charlotte so called. History of charlotte

In our regular column "History of the dish" we have already told what products the first Caesar salad was made from, why the bird's milk cake has such an unusual name, how Sophia Loren influenced the popularization of Carbonara pasta and much more. Today HELLO.RU decided to introduce you to the history of Russians' favorite pie - charlotte.

Charlotte won such a high popularity among the housewives of our country for two reasons: firstly, it is quick and easy to cook, and secondly, all the necessary products are affordable and inexpensive. It is believed that charlotte is a summer-autumn dessert, since it is during these seasons that a real apple “blockage” happens in the gardens of many Russians.

Meanwhile, the first charlotte was cooked on the territory of a completely different country - England, and the genius who came up with this simple culinary formula was the French chef Marie Antoine Karem. Karem was the favorite cook of many kings and emperors in the 19th century. Alexander I was one of the fans of Marie Antoine's gourmet dishes - Karem worked in his St. Petersburg palace for several years, passing at the disposal of the emperor directly from the hands of the English king George IV. By the way, the name of the pie, according to one version, was given in honor of the British royal person - George's mother, Queen Charlotte.

The first "Russian charlotte" (that's what it was called in the world) was prepared as follows: a layer of savoiardi biscuit cookies was laid out on the bottom of a baking dish and covered with whipped cream. Apples appeared in this pie a little later, by the way, even then, along with crispy fruits, it was customary to add nuts, cocoa powder and even raisins to the dessert. Then, during the time of I.V. Stalin, the dish was renamed "Russian grandmother" - there should not have been any hint of European roots in the Soviet man's favorite delicacy.

Now in the CIS, almost any pie with apples is called charlotte. The dough for classic charlotte is kneaded from flour, eggs and sugar, and chopped apples are added to it before baking.

In the middle of the last century, an unusual variety (although, in our opinion, this is a completely different dish) of "Russian charlotte" was popular in New York: biscuit dough stuffed with whipped cream and cocktail cherries was served in paper cups.

Today HELLO.RU will tell you how to cook charlotte according to the recipe of the chef of the "Prozhektor" restobar.

Ingredients:

Green apples - 700 g

Eggs - 5 pcs.

Vanillin - 3 g

Flour - 160 g

Sugar - 170 g

Milk - 25 g

Baking powder - 10 g

Orange - 1 pc.

Lemon - 1 pc.

Cinnamon - 2 g

Cooking method:

1. Peel the apples from the peel and seeds, remove the core. Cut into circles and pour squeezed juice of orange and lemon, add cinnamon, mix.

2. Grate the zest on a fine grater. Beat the egg with sugar in a dense foam, add salt and zest. Add flour mixed with baking powder. Knead the dough, add milk at the end.

3. Put the dough and apples in layers in a greased form. Sprinkle with sugar.

4. Bake for 30 minutes at 170 degrees, then 20 minutes at 160 and 140 degrees.

Bon appetit!

Charlotte is loved all over the world, but somewhere it's a pudding, somewhere it's a cold dessert, and in Russia it's a simple apple pie. In this article, I will tell you about the history of the origin of this many-sided sweets, about its travels around the world, modifications and show step-by-step charlotte recipes with photos.

Charlotte is a simplified, folk, one might say affectionate derivative of "Charlotte". There are two versions of the origin of the name:
1) Most of the legends associated with the creation of charlotte indicate that it comes from the female name "Charlotte".
2) Some culinary scientists claim (based on English recipes of the 15th century and later, which is credible) that the name of the dessert charlotte comes from the English word charlyt, which means a dish made from beaten eggs, sugar and milk. In the 15th century, in England, by the way, a meat dish with the same name was also popular.

From various sources, I have collected almost all available versions of the origin of Charlotte, some of them are quite funny:

1) Be that as it may, but all modern types of charlotte come from the English pudding. I put this most realistic, in my opinion, version at the very beginning, so as not to confuse you. It was the British who came up with this dessert, and what we have now arose relatively recently. In foggy Albion, it seems that puddings are prepared from everything in the world. The recipe for English charlotte is very simple, although there are also many options. That first and simple charlotte was a cold dessert, the so-called "raw", when moistened slices of bread were stacked in layers, interspersed with chopped fruit.

The basis of both cold / raw and baked charlotte is moistened slices of bread or biscuit, which are laid out in a small form, filling the middle with stewed fruit. The most common and favorite option is apple charlotte. But slices of bread are moistened in everything, and in dissolved butter, and in syrup from under stewed fruits, and in wine, and in Russia they were very fond of moistening bread in a mixture of eggs and milk (Oh, how many centuries have passed, but we have still love to soak bread slices for toast in this egg-and-milk mixture).

2) This version is also English, but with royal participation.

In the 18th century, King George III ruled Great Britain; his wife, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, was the patroness of apple growers. It is believed that it was she who invented the Charlotte apple dessert. Of course, I did not search much, but I did not find any confirmation of this theory. Since this pudding existed before Queen Charlotte, I think she improved the recipe, but again, there is no information about this. But this version is beautiful, I do not argue.

3) Many people know the romantic legend about the creation of charlotte by a certain chef from the UK, who was hopelessly in love with a girl named Charlotte, for whom he created a wonderful apple dessert and named it after his beloved. Name, place of residence or work, but at least the time of life is lost forever, except for a dessert with a beautiful name. A doubtful version, but lives and lives for a long time.

4) The French chef Marie Antoine Karem, who lived at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, is often called the creator of charlotte, he was one of the founders of modern culinary arts, "haute cuisine", he was called "the cook of kings and the king of cooks". But he modified the charlotte, creating its new look, which is now called Charlotte Russe.

Illustration from Karem's book, he is on the right.

How it was: Antoine Carem is said to have modified charlotte in 1802, laying out the form not with bread, but with Savoyardi (“Ladyfingers”) biscuits, filling the middle with Bavarian cream with gelatin. Such charlotte was a cold dessert and was called "Paris charlotte". But in 1814, Russian Tsar Alexander I entered Paris as a winner, for whom Karem prepared his dessert. Since then, this cake has been known worldwide as "Charlotte Russe".

5) I left the most beautiful and funny for you in the end.

At the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, there were many German bakeries in Russia that prepared this dessert from the remains of bread and bakery products. The Russians laughed and said that the wives of the Germans save money and even make pies from crackers, and the wives themselves, summarizing, were called Charlottes behind their backs. The name Charlotte was very popular at the time and became a household name for any German woman living in Russia (Wikipedia).

6) In America, they believe that their national charlotte was invented by a certain chef from the city of Charlotte, which is somewhat doubtful, given the similarity with the English recipe. Most likely, charlotte was brought by immigrants. In the 19th century, a saying appeared in America that is said when speaking of a typically American phenomenon or object: "As American as apple pie" ("As American as an apple pie").

Charlotte evolution.
Despite the fact that charlotte is prepared with many fruits, the whole world fell in love with its apple version.
So, initially charlotte is a bread pudding, and its cold version, "raw". Those. slices of bread moistened with syrup from under boiled fruits were folded into the form in layers, these fruits were laid out between the bread, everything was covered with slices of bread.

Then they began to bake charlotte, the bread was already soaked in melted butter or wine, and even in a mixture of eggs and milk. But bread slices were already laid out not in layers, but along the bottom and along the walls of the form, filling the middle with stewed fruit.
Antoine Karem made charlotte an elegant and very delicate dessert, replacing bread with Savoyardi biscuits and biscuit slices, and apple filling with Bavarian cream.

In Russia, in the 18th and 19th centuries, with the flow of foreign chefs, recipes for charlotte also poured in, which adapted to our Russian realities, as a result of which charlotte from rye bread was born. But Charlotte Russe did not take root. At the beginning of the 20th century in our country, charlotte turned into a very simple biscuit pie with apples, which every housewife knows. So many generations grew up on a simple recipe for apple charlotte. And although our women are so talented that there are a great many variations of the simplest pie at the moment, everyone still dearly loves the classic charlotte recipe, this is not even a recipe, but the proportions that everyone supplements to their liking: 1 glass of flour, 1 glass of sugar, 4 eggs, 0.5 teaspoon of soda, slaked with vinegar. Nowadays, baking soda is replaced with baking powder and vanilla sugar is added.

Despite the fact that Charlotte Russe did not take root in Russia, it is very popular in Europe and America. Speaking of America!
Charlotte came to this continent along with immigrants, but very quickly a legend was born that one American chef from a city called Charlotte came up with charlotte. To the credit of the Americans, they somewhat modified the charlotte, but for the better, giving rise to a new and wonderful pie, making it truly national and their pride.

Now in the world three main types of charlotte are firmly established, from which all cooks are already dancing.
1. English charlotte pudding, made from bread slices and apples, can be either "raw" or baked.
Of course, a great many recipes have accumulated over so many centuries, but for myself and for you, and for the sake of curiosity, I took a hundred-year-old recipe from the book "Practical Fundamentals of Culinary Art" by Pelageya Alexandrova-Ignatieva.

2. Charlotte Russe, born of the great Antoine Careme. This charlotte is prepared by laying out the form with savoiardi cookies, Bavarian cream with gelatin is poured into the form. Nowadays, Bavarian cream is mixed with various berry and fruit purees or chocolate, and jelly, most often berry, is poured on top of the cake.
I prepared Karem charlotte according to a combined recipe with a Russian bias: I laid out the form with Savoyardi cookies dipped in a mixture of sugar syrup and rum (most often Grand Marnier liquor is used as alcohol), poured Bavarian cream with vanilla, and then added a layer of cranberry jelly on top.

3. A modern Russian charlotte with apples, which is a classic biscuit with apples added to the dough.

Until the middle of the last century, there was even a special detachable form for charlotte and it was called - charlotte! But, unfortunately, I could not find any photographs or illustrations of this unique form, although some books about it say that it is small, narrow and high with a removable bottom. Now, by the way, this is not tragic, since the stores are full of detachable forms of various sizes. But if you have a photo or illustration of a charlotte and you can send it, I will be extremely grateful to you.

Apple charlotte is one of the most popular desserts in August. Summer residents, having gathered a rich harvest, bake this cake almost every day and generously treat their friends and neighbors to it. AiF.ru tried to figure out why the pie got its name.

British versions

Most likely, this pie was invented somewhere in the British Isles, where there is a special attitude towards apples. They believe that this is the fruit that everyone should eat. An English proverb says: “As long as you eat apples, you don’t need the services of a doctor” (“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”).

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz

Most Britons are sure that the charlotte recipe appeared at the end of the 18th century thanks to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of the British King George III. This noble person is known for patronizing gardeners. Maybe that's why various apple dishes often appeared on her table. For tea, she asked to serve a special cake, which was prepared specifically for her taste. At court, this dessert was called charlotte - after the name of the queen, who adored this delicacy.

But there are those in the UK who believe that the recipe for this pie is much older. The name of the dessert comes from the Old English "charlyt". There is no exact equivalent of this word in Russian, it means a dish made from beaten eggs, sugar and milk. If you believe this version, then charlotte was eaten back in the 5th century.

However, the British romantics also have their own version. They say that once upon a time, a cook fell hopelessly in love with the noble beauty Charlotte. Due to poverty and low birth, he did not have the slightest chance to achieve her location. Nevertheless, the lover decided to dedicate his best culinary creation to her - an apple pie.

American version

In the United States, charlotte is considered their national dish. The Americans are sure that this pie was invented by a cook from the city of Charlotte in North Carolina. However, it is much more likely that the British brought the dessert there - the recipe is very similar to the traditional European version. But most US citizens strongly disagree with this argument. After all, they even have a saying in their homeland that they use when talking about a typically American phenomenon or object: “As American as apple pie” (“As American as apple pie”).

Charlotte Recipes

Classic variant

The idea of a classic charlotte was borrowed from the British:

1. Line the bottom of the mold with bread soaked in butter or egg mixture.

2. Put a layer of ready-made apples (boiled with sugar or mashed) on top of the bread and cover with a layer of soaked bread. You can make multiple layers.

History of charlotte

There are several versions of the origin of the beloved apple pie, three of them are the most plausible. If you believe the first, then charlotte was first prepared specifically for the wife of King George III of Great Britain. Her name was Charlotte. Allegedly, she stood up for the multiplication of apple orchards and patronized apple producers. Therefore, in gratitude, the subjects prepared this dessert and named it after their queen.

The second story is more mundane: the name of charlotte comes from the Old English word "charlyt", which means "a dish made from sugar, milk and beaten eggs."

The third version is the most romantic. They say that a long time ago a young man lived in France. He worked as a cook in one of the local restaurants. Once, having met a charming girl, the young man fell hopelessly in love. And this love inspired him to create a new dish, which he dedicated to his beloved. Her name was Charlotte.

Each version has the right to life. Everyone can choose which of the three to stick with. Incorrigible romantics will like the last legend: the lightness of the dish, the harmonious combination of sourness and sweetness, the speed of preparation, the pleasant but short languor in anticipation of the result. Only a lover could do such a thing.

Such a multifaceted charlotte

After such a backstory, of course, it is worth preparing a charlotte, adopting one of your favorite recipes. What if this dish really contains a certain magic of lovers?

Classic charlotte

1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 3 eggs, 0.5 kg apples, 2 tbsp. spoons of cognac, ½ tsp cinnamon

First, prepare the apples: wash, remove the core, cut into slices. Pour 2 tablespoons of cognac and add cinnamon, leave to stand. If you don't want the apples to brown, add some lemon juice and cover.

For the dough, beat the eggs with sugar until a homogeneous white airy mass. And gradually add 1 cup of sifted flour to the resulting mixture. Stir gently.

Put the apples in a mold greased with sunflower oil and fill them with the resulting dough. We put in the oven, preheated to 180˚, and wait 35-40 minutes.

Curd charlotte

250 g cottage cheese (can be fat-free), 1 cup sugar, 4 large apples, 3 eggs, 100 g butter, 1 cup semolina, 15 g baking powder, breadcrumbs.

Wash the apples, remove the core, cut into cubes. Sprinkle with sugar, set aside until sugar dissolves. Mix cottage cheese, eggs and semolina, add melted butter and baking powder last. Mix the resulting mixture with apples.

It is better to line the form with baking paper, grease with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. We put our workpiece in an oven preheated to 200˚ and bake until golden brown.

Charlotte in Polish

3 egg yolks, 200 g butter, 500 g flour, 100 g sour cream, 1 kg apples, 250 g cookies, 15 g baking powder, vanilla and cinnamon to taste.

Mix flour, baking powder, vanilla and butter. Grind the yolks with sugar until white and add to the flour mass. The resulting dough should not stick to your hands. Put the finished dough in the refrigerator for an hour.

After an hour, take the dough out of the refrigerator. We divide it into two parts - one is slightly larger than the other. Thinly roll out a large one and put it on the bottom of the mold, so as to completely close the bottom and get the sides. Sprinkle the dough with a thin layer of cookie crumbs, then lay out a layer of apples, sprinkle the apples with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. The second layer - repeat in the same sequence. Roll out the remaining dough and close the filling.

In the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, put our future pie and wait about 30 minutes. After that, set the temperature controller to 75˚ and wait another 30 minutes or so until it is ready.

Charlotte on mineral water

4 - 5 pcs. large apples, 70 g raisins, 70 g walnuts, 3 eggs, 150 g sugar, 1 tbsp. flour, ½ tsp soda, 1/3 tbsp. mineral water, 3 tbsp. l. mayonnaise, vanillin, cinnamon, lemon peel - to taste.

My apples, remove the core, cut into large slices. We spread it in a form previously greased with oil. Top with nuts and raisins, optionally cinnamon.

Separately, we prepare the dough: mix eggs, sugar, mayonnaise, flour, slaked soda and mineral water. Add zest and vanilla to taste. Mix everything with a mixer and pour into a mold with apples. Bake in the oven at 180˚ until done.

There are so many recipes for your favorite pie that when you hear the name “charlotte”, you can never be sure that you will accurately guess all the ingredients. And why? There must be some mystery to the pie with a romantic past.

Probably everyone loves delicious pastries, from little boys and girls to grandparents. Yes, sweets, and especially sweet pastries, are quite high-calorie dishes, but in the morning even a losing weight girl can afford a piece of cake.

Now there are a huge number of recipes for pies for every taste. Yes, they are insanely tasty and unusual, but we should not forget about the classics. Fortunately, many old recipes have been preserved and are still very popular. For example, the classic charlotte. Who among you hasn't tried it? Probably every mother or grandmother knows some version of this pie, because people have come up with so many charlotte recipes that you can try them all your life. Let's take a closer look at some recipes.

What is a charlotte?

But before talking about recipes, you need to find out what this dish is. Let's start with the fact that charlotte was originally a dish of apples and bread soaked in something. There are many origin options. The most plausible theory sounds like this: around the 14th and 15th century, a pudding made from boiled fruit and bread appeared in Great Britain. Yes, it was English pudding that became the start for all varieties of charlotte. English raw or cold charlotte has become very popular. Then many began to bake it, soak the bread in both oil and syrup.

Further, Antoine Karem at the beginning of the 19th century came up with a new, more refined recipe for charlotte. Bread soaked in something was replaced by delicate savoiardi biscuits, instead of boiled fruits, it was used with gelatin. This version of charlotte was called Charlotte Russe. Currently, berries are still used in this version, for example, Savoyardi cookies are moistened in rum or liquor, laid on the sides, poured with Bavarian cream, and berry jelly is placed on top.

The recipe for a simple apple pie, familiar to us, appeared at the beginning of the last century. Then almost every housewife mastered it, during this time Russian women were able to come up with a huge number of different recipes.

Essential Ingredients for Classic Charlotte

Once you know what charlotte is, you can start cooking. First, let's look at the ingredients for the classic recipe.

Flour. So, we need about one glass of premium flour.
Sugar. The next ingredient is white sugar, if desired, it can be replaced with cane sugar.
Eggs. For a classic recipe, we need 3 eggs.
Apples. The most important and important ingredient. You can decide for yourself which apples to choose, sweet or slightly sour.
Oil. We also need 1 tablespoon of plain butter.
Vanillin / cinnamon. Here everyone chooses the option that he likes best.

How to cook a classic version of charlotte?

We have already figured out what charlotte is, what ingredients are needed for a classic recipe, now you can start cooking.

We turn on the oven. It should be heated to 180 degrees.
We start with eggs. Break the eggs into a large and comfortable bowl.
Add sugar.
We mix. So that the process does not drag out, you can take a mixer. Beat for 10-15 minutes at maximum power. During this time, all the sugar will completely dissolve, and the mass will increase by 2-3 times in volume.
We add flour. Now we gradually and continuously add flour in small portions and immediately mix from top to bottom so that there are no lumps and the mass is homogeneous.
Let's move on to apples. Set the dough aside and start working on the filling. My apples, peel, remove the core and cut into thin slices, add cinnamon if desired.
Let's start assembling. We grease the form a little with oil, spread the apples, put small pieces of butter on top. Fill this layer with a portion of the dough, repeat the steps until the ingredients run out.
We send it to the oven. Important! The first 10-15 minutes do not open the oven, the cake may settle.

How to decorate a charlotte?

Is it possible to decorate charlotte, you ask. Yes, the main thing is to know what.

Powdered sugar.
The easiest and fastest option. Charlotte immediately becomes more beautiful with powdered sugar.
Fresh apples. If the cake is immediately served on the table, then it can be decorated with a fresh apple.
Berries. They always look beautiful, aesthetically pleasing. A good option is to add them to the top layer before cooking. In this case, the berries will give juice and slightly color the dough.
Chocolate drops. Chocolate always looks beautiful and appetizing.
Yogurt or sour cream. Each guest can be served a piece of cake with a little yogurt or sour cream. Such a serving will look more beautiful, and the taste can become even better and more interesting.

Mint.
When serving, you can put a small piece of mint on top of the pie.
Syrup. You can decorate a plate with sweet syrup or pour it on top of a piece of charlotte.

What is a charlotte? This is a pie with apples, but they can be easily replaced, for example, with cherries. For this recipe we need:

Oil. The first ingredient will be butter, you need to take about 250 g. You need to get it in advance, because it must be at room temperature.
Sugar. You can take white or reed, weight 200 g.
Flour. We need one glass of premium flour.
Starch. It is necessary to take 120 g.
Cherry. You can take both fresh and frozen - 300-400 g.
Eggs. You need 5 medium sized eggs.

Let's start cooking.

Turn on the oven and heat up to 200 degrees.
Beat the butter with a mixer, gradually add sugar in small portions.
Next, break one egg at a time, mixing thoroughly after each.
We collect charlotte. There are two options here. In the first, we mix most of the cherries with the dough, carefully lay the rest on top. In the second option, we lay the dough and cherries in layers.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.

The next recipe is called "Lush Pear Charlotte". To prepare it, we need:

4 medium sized chicken eggs.
2 cups of flour. It's better to sift it.
3 ripe and sweet pears.
1 cup of sugar
0.5 teaspoon of baking powder.
A small amount of lemon zest (optional)

So, let's start cooking.

Let's take pears. Wash the fruit, peel and cut into small pieces.
Thoroughly beat the eggs with sugar with a mixer at full power.
Gradually add flour and baking powder, mix until smooth.
Add pear to dough.
Lubricate the form with oil, spread the dough, carefully put more pieces of pear on top.
Bake for 30-40 minutes in the oven.

Charlotte with milk, white chocolate and berries

So, how to make this cake with berries and chocolate looks very beautiful and appetizing, for it we need:

Oil. You need 100 g of oil at room temperature.
120 ml cow's milk. It can be replaced with almond or oatmeal.
200 g sour cream. It is better to choose 15% or 20%.
2 large eggs.
Zest of a whole lemon.
1 teaspoon vanillin.
280 g wheat flour of the highest grade. It can be replaced with cornmeal or oatmeal.
1 cup of sugar.
1 teaspoon baking powder.
200 g chocolate. Chocolate chips are the best.
200 g of any berries. You can use frozen mixes.

Let's start cooking.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Melt butter and gradually mix in milk, sour cream, eggs and lemon zest.
In another bowl, combine sugar and flour.
Mix all ingredients with a mixer.
Add most of the berries and chocolate to the dough and mix.
We cover the form with parchment paper or grease with oil. Pour the dough, decorate with the remains of berries and chocolate on top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Charlotte on biscuit dough

How to cook charlotte on biscuit dough? The dough itself is quite difficult to prepare, here it is necessary to observe all proportions. It is worth saying that the ingredients and utensils must be cold. To prepare such a charlotte, we need:

4 eggs.
120 g of powdered sugar.
120 g flour.
300 g apples.
Lemon juice.

You can start cooking.

Separate the whites from the yolks. Beat the yolks well with sugar at maximum speed. Beat egg whites until stiff foam.
Next, carefully mix the proteins and yolks in portions, gradually add the flour.
Wash, peel and cut apples.
Place apples and dough in layers in a greased form.
Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Charlotte on kefir

So, a simple recipe for charlotte (step by step). We will need:

4 sweet apples.
250 g flour.
2 eggs.
100 g butter.
100 g sugar.
200-250 g of kefir of any fat content.

Let's move on to cooking. Mix butter with sugar, add eggs, kefir, then flour and a pinch of salt. If you want fluffy dough, use baking powder. In the form we lay layers of dough and chopped apples. Bake for 40-50 minutes.