Hollywood History: Charlotte d’Avocato Aux Sauce Asperges

It’s rare that a vintage recipe has Hollywood provenance.

Charlotte d’ Avocato Aux Sauce Asperges (Avocado Charlotte with Asparagus Sauce) is one!

The recipe came Catherine Grady Crabtree’s A La San Francisco Restaurant Recipes (Crabtree Publishing, 1979).

As the book title states, the recipes originated from restaurants in San Francisco. This particular one came from Ernie’s.

When I looked up Ernie’s Restaurant to see if it was still open, what I found astounded me. This restaurant is mentioned in one of my favorite films –made by one of my favorite directors — starring one of my favorite actors!

The film, Vertigo with Jimmy Stewart (yum!) and Kim Novak as the leads was directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Released in 1958, it is considered one of the greatest films of all time.

During one scene, the actors are dining inside of the famous Ernie’s Restaurant. Actually, they were inside a perfectly recreated Paramount studio. Hitchcock ordered that the scene look exactly like the restaurant with vivid red walls.

This link provides visuals of this renowned eatery if you’ve not seen the film in a while.

Sadly, the restaurant closed in 1995. Today, it houses offices.

Just knowing my little dessert had existed in such a glamorous place really makes me want to re-watch the film while eating it!

Back to the recipe. I didn’t actually know much about the avocado. Is it a vegetable? Or is it a fruit?

An online search showed that the avocado is a fruit that grows on trees. In this vintage recipe it looks nothing like the dark-skinned item that is pulled off the tree with its smooth, silky creamy texture and light green color.

It’s spring in a cup!

The cookbook provided this additional information about the dish:

“A Charlotte is a dessert similar to a mousse. It’s usually made by arranging ladyfingers in a mold. Sometimes bread is used instead of ladyfingers and arranged in an overlapping pattern. The center of the mold is then filled with a stiff pureed fruit and topped with more ladyfingers and is then refrigerated or baked.

The tasty dessert is refrigerated and requires no baking.

If you’re in a hurry, you can omit the sauce and serve the Charlotte with whipped cream.”

As you’ll see from the photos, I eliminated the ladyfingers and sauce. Instead, I poured it into champagne glasses, allowed it to set in my frig before adding whipped topping. Then I garnished a couple of servings with blueberries and a square of fancy chocolate. There was enough filling for several glasses.

As for the asparagus sauce on top, I confess, although we are nearing asparagus season, I just couldn’t do it. There’s such a thing as too much green stuff in one dessert!

It is somewhat of a fiddly mixture with needing to use a candy thermometer (I have a Pampered Chef brand which was for sale in new condition in a thrift shop) to cook on the stove. The time and effort involved caused me to give this recipe a 4 on the Cooking Challenge Scale.

1– Easy (5 ingredients or less; little prep time)

2– Somewhat easy (10 ingredients or less; less than 1 hour of prep)

3— Not for a weeknight (between 1-2 hours of prep)

4—Challenging (you’ve got to be kidding; who thought up this recipe?)

But don’t let that put you off — it is a springy-looking dessert that would fit in well with Easter or upcoming Mother’s Day. Set time aside on a Saturday morning and put it together to wow special people in your life. I’m sure you’ll all be pleased.

Below is the recipe as printed in the book. Make modifications as you see fit.

**

Avocado Charlotte (Charlotte d’Avocato)

3 large avocados

1-½ c. sugar

2 T. gelatin

½ box ladyfingers

1 pint Kirschwasser liqueur

1-½ quart mold or 2 smaller molds

1 pint heavy cream

1. Puree avocado pulp in blender and set aside
2. Combine sugar and 1-½ c. warm water in a pan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
3. Turn heat up and boil 3-½ minutes or until candy thermometer reads 215 degrees F. Let cool.
4. Add gelatin to cooled syrup.
5. Warm syrup and gelatin mixture and add to puree. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
6. Dip ladyfingers in Kirschwasser and line mold with them.
7. Remove puree from frig and whip.
8. Beat cream to stiff peaks and fold into puree.
9. Pour mixture into mold and cover with more ladyfingers. Refrigerate 2 hours until set.

Asparagus Sauce (Sauce Asperges)

1 c. sugar

8 egg yolks

1 c. milk

1 c. fresh sliced asparagus (green-overcooked and pureed)

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Mix sugar and yolks and whip for 5 minutes.
2. Boil milk and pour over yolk mixture.
3. Cook mixture slowly (over low heat), stirring all the time until it thickens. Do not boil.
4. Pour over asparagus puree, add lemon juice and stir.
5. Strain through sieve and refrigerate until cold.
6. Unmold the Charlotte by placing upside down on platter and pour the sauce on top.

Serves 8-10.

Preparation: 1 hour

Refrigeration: about 2 hours

My notes:

1. In lieu of Kirschwasser liqueur, I used apple juice.
2. As stated, I deleted the Ladyfingers and sauce.
3. I used 5 avocados as they were small in the package.

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