Pear Charlotte

To make the ladyfingers: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper. Put the egg whites in a deep bowl and beat until frothy. Add one fourth of the sugar and beat at high speed until they stand in soft peaks. Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk in the remaining three-fourths of the sugar, whisking until the mixture turns light yellow. Sift the flour over the egg yolks. Gently stir in the flour with a whisk until just blended. Fold a large spoonful of egg whites into the yolk-flour mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Put the mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a 1-inch plain tip and pipe onto the prepared pans, making one 8-inch circle for a base, one 4-inch circle for a center, and eleven 1-inch-by-4-inch strips. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the tops and let stand 10 minutes. Sift confectioner’s sugar over the tops again and bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until light golden in color. Remove and let cool completely.

To prepare the raisins: Put the raisins and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Strain and put the raisins in a small bowl. Add the pear liqueur and let soak at least 30 minutes.

To poach the pears: Put the pear halves in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water. Add the lemon juice and 1 cup sugar and stir to mix. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, until soft. Strain and let cool to room temperature. Place 8 pear halves of similar size on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.

To make the filling: Pour the gelatin into the 1/4 cup cold water and let soften for 5 minutes. Press the remaining 6 pear halves through a ricer or puree in a food processor. Put the puree in a medium bowl and stir the gelatin and sugar into the puree. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Whip the cream until it stands in firm peaks. Remove the puree from the refrigerator and fold a large spoonful of whipped cream into the puree. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream and the pear liqueur. Cover with plastic wrap and keep cold until ready to use.

To assemble: Place a 10-inch heavy cardboard circle on a baking sheet. Dust the inside of a 9-inch-by-2-1/2-inch bottomless baking ring or the ring from a 9-inch springform pan with confectioner’s sugar and place on the cardboard. Strain the raisins from the syrup, reserving both raisins and syrup separately. Cut 11 of the ladyfingers in half crosswise. Measure against each other to be sure they are all the same length; trim to length at the cut end as needed. Line the sides of the ring with ladyfingers, cut ends down. Trim the edges off the pastry circles and dot them with raisin syrup. Press the larger circle into the filling mixture. Place the smaller circle in the center of the filling. Continue filling to the top with the filling mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Place the apricot jelly in a small pan over low heat to warm and melt. Take the chilled pear halves from the refrigerator and put on a cutting surface. Holding a sharp thin knife at a 45-degree angle, slice into 1/8-inch-thick pieces, starting from the thin end, keeping the pieces together with your fingers so that they still resemble a pear half. Remove the charlotte from the refrigerator and unwrap. Holding a pear half together with the fingers of one hand, slip a long thin spatula under the sections and lift them as one. Place them on the top of the charlotte with the small end of the pear toward the center, letting the slices fan slightly as you move toward the outside edge. Repeat until all pear halves are arranged around the top of the charlotte in a spoke pattern. Space the raspberries evenly around the outer edge. Brush the fruit with the melted apricot jelly to glaze. Chill for 30 minutes.

To serve: Place a cluster of chocolate shavings in the center. Place a spoonful of creme anglaise on each dessert plate. Put the raspberry puree in a squeeze bottle and drizzle puree across one side of the creme anglasie. With a toothpick or the tip of a sharp knife, pull through the puree into the sauce to create a feathered design. After presentation of the entire charlotte, slice into individual servings and place one on each plate beside the puree design.