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Glite Dictionary
charlotte russe

charlotte russe

1 9.9
A dessert made by lining a bowl with finger biscuits and filling it with a light sweet cream
  • noun
  • /ʃɑrˈlɒt ruːs/
translation icon : charlota rusa
  • For dessert, I would love to have a charlotte russe filled with rich Bavarian cream.

Examples

  • No Charlotte russe?

    The Women (1939)

  • The fact that he walked into a Charlotte Russe and bought this blows my mind every time.

  • You bring me a charlotte russe with whipped cream, then you can do anything you like.

    Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

  • It's a Charlotte russe.

    The Man from Snowy River (1982)

  • Charlotte Russe, only ¢20.

    Just Looking (1999)

  • She carefully arranged ladyfingers to create a beautiful charlotte russe for the party.

  • The chef offered a slice of charlotte russe, delighting everyone with its creamy texture.

Synonyms

charlotte
vscharlotte russe
7.7

A cold dessert made by lining a bowl with cake and filling it with fruit and cream

uses ladyfingers to line a mold and fills it with Bavarian cream

Surface Forms

charlotte russe singular
charlotte russes plural

Morphology

charlotte + russe

The element 'charlotte' directly signals a kind of dessert, so a learner who knows that word will infer that 'charlotte russe' names a variety of charlotte (i.e., a dessert). However 'russe' is a French borrowing (meaning 'Russian') and is often unknown to learners, and the precise ingredients and construction (ladyfingers, Bavarian cream) are not predictable from the parts, so the phrase is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Charlotte russe may be named for a woman called Charlotte with Russe meaning 'Russian', because one popular story says a French cook made the dish for a Russian guest. The picture to remember is sponge biscuits or ladyfingers lined around a mold and filled with cold cream, and that wrapped, molded shape is why the name now means this kind of cream dessert.