Charlotte aux Cassis

Today I made a Charlotte aux Cassis or Blackcurrant mousse encased in sponge.  Charlottes are bavarians or mousses molded in "Charlotte" ring molds and lined with sponge cake and are thought to be named after King George III's wife.  In the one I made, there is sponge as the base, around the edges (the stripes), and in the middle of the mousse.  There is also a glacage on top to make it shiny.  There are a lot of steps and it can look really great.  When the chef did the demo she made one with spiral sponge at the botttom.  She also did a lot fancier piping.

I have been a little quiet lately because I'm trying to get ready for my final.  I need to practice and study.  Friday afternoon I was making eclairs when my three and a half year old nephew called me on Skype to see what I was doing.  He got to watch me and ask lots of questions.  He asked if I could come over.  I had to tell him I was too far away and he asked how many feet.  It was fun to cook "with" him, but then he got bored of watching and hung up.  I called him later to show him the finished eclairs.