Apple Charlotte

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Sauté the apple pieces in 2 tablespoons of the butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle on brown sugar and lemon peel and continue for 5 minutes or more, until the apples start to brown and caramelize. Stir in the cinnamon, apricot jam, vanilla, and rum, and sauté another 2 minutes or so, until apples have absorbed the liquid.

   Step 2

   Set racks in middle and lower-middle levels and preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange 4 slices of bread in a square on your work surface. Center a 6-cup straight-sided circular baking dish such as a charlotte on the square, and cut around the bottom to make a circle of bread in 4 pieces; reserve them. Cut a 2-inch circle from another slice, and reserve.

   Step 3

   Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan and brown the reserved bread pieces, including the circle, on both sides. Then brown the trimmings. Butter the bottom of the baking dish and line with a circle of wax paper. Arrange the circle of sautéed bread pieces over it (but reserve the small circle). Halve all the remaining bread slices lengthwise. One by one, dip each piece in the remaining butter and arrange upright and slightly overlapping around the inside of the mold. Spoon layers of sautéed apples alternating with sautéed bread trimmings (which act as fillers) into the dish, letting the filling hump 3/4 inch over the rim.

   Step 4

   Set in the middle rack of the oven, and then slide a pan underneath to catch any juices. Bake for about 30 minutes, pressing down on apples several times with a spatula, until bread strips lining the sides have browned nicely.

   Step 5

   Remove from oven and let rest at least 1 hour. Unmold onto a serving plate, paint top and sides with apricot glaze; center the small circle on top and glaze. Serve warm or cold, with the crème anglaise on page 78.