Recipe: Charlotte with Pears

1 In a bowl filled with cold water, soak your gelatin sheets

2 In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour 40cl (1.7 cups) of water, the vanilla seeds, caster sugar and half the lemon juice, stir and let reduce slowly until it resembles a light syrup

3 Peel the pears, cut them in half, remove the seeds and cut into large cubes, then cook for 3 minutes in the syrup and drain them, reserve 10 to 15cl (0.6 cup) of this syrup and add the squeezed gelatin, stir with a whisk in the rest of the syrup add the pear liqueur (optional) the large cubes of pears and set aside

4 Put your heavy cream in a bowl 5 minutes in the freezer then whip into stiff peaks, fold in with a wooden spatula 10g (0.4 oz) of icing sugar and the part of the syrup mixed with the gelatin

5 Spread food wrap all around your charlotte mold then line the bottom by cutting small hearts in a rosette pattern from your biscuits
then quickly dip your ladyfinger biscuits in the syrup and arrange them around with the rounded side facing inward

6 Keep 3 whole biscuits and cut all the rest into small pieces and soak them in the remaining syrup