About 1-1/2 packages lady fingers, or thinly sliced pound cake
Chocolate mint filling:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons (about 1/2 small envelope) unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
5 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons green or white creme de menthe
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
Cut a circle of waxed paper to fit bottom of mold and a strip of paper to fit around sides. Lightly oil inside of mold, then line with waxed paper.
(Do not oil the paper.) Place ladyfingers on their ends around inside of mold. Cutting to fit, cover bottom of mold with ladyfingers, using trimmings to fill in gaps. Trim off any edges that stick up above edge of mold. Set prepared mold aside.
To make the filling, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high (100 percent) power 1 minute. Stir and continue heating in 30-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
In a heavy saucepan, heat milk just until scalding, when tiny bubbles appear around the edge. Remove from heat and set aside.
While milk is heating, sprinkle gelatin over water in a small saucepan. Let stand a few minutes to soften. Then stir over low heat until gelatin is dissolved; do not boil. Set gelatin aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks with the sugar until thick and light.
Whisk about half the hot milk into the yolks, beating constantly, then pour the warmed yolks back into the remaining hot milk, whisking hard. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly with whisk or wooden spoon, until custard thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. (Custard will be thin, but you should be able to draw a finger through it on the coated spoon and leave a mark that doesn’t close up.) Do not let custard boil. Check the gelatin; if it is thickened, stir over low heat until liquefied. Pour hot custard into a bowl and stir in the gelatin and vanilla extract.
Gradually stir in melted chocolate, blending completely. Stir in creme de menthe and peppermint extract. Place bowl in ice water and let cool, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes, until it reaches the consistency of soft pudding.
Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into chocolate custard. Pour into mold, topping with a single layer of ladyfingers. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
To unmold, invert charlotte onto a flat serving plate and remove mold. Peel off waxed paper.
Makes 10 to 12 servings