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1. Line bottom of Charlotte pan with buttered parchment paper.
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2. Rinse dried fruit under hot water.
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3. Heat dried fruit in a saucepan with the 1/2 C. rum and 1 C. water. Simmer 5 min.
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4. Drain the fruit and reserve the liquid.
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5. Mix the fruit/rum liquid with 1/2 C. water in a pie plate. Quickly place a ladyfinger in the liquid, about 2 seconds per side. You'll need around 45 ladyfingers for this step. Reserve the rest dry.
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6. Line the bottom of the Charlotte pan with lady fingers: trim with scissors and then patch the open places with the scraps. Line the sides of the mold with the ladyfingers in a vertical position.
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7. Beat the egg, egg yolks, and the brown sugar in a stand mixer until the sugar dissolves. Add the vanilla.
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8. Bring the milk to a boil and then, with the mixer running on medium, pour the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture in a thin, steady stream to make a thin custard.
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9. ladle 1/3 C. of custard into the Charlotte pan. Sprinkle with fruit and dot with jam. place 3 or 4 ladyfingers on top and pour 1/3 C. more custard. Top with fruit and jam. Continue until you reach near the top of the pan - ending with ladyfingers. Pour over any remaining custard.
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10. Trim off protruding cookie ends.
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11. Bake in a Bain Marie at 325 F for 50 minutes.
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12. Remove from oven, let cool in the pan, then chill in the pan.
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To serve:
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13. Puree the strawberries with 2 T. of sugar and strain out the seeds. Whip the cream with a bit of vanilla and sugar.
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14. Unmold the dessert onto a broad plate. Pipe with the whipped cream in a pretty pattern. Serve with the strawberry sauce.
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This dessert keeps for 2 days in the pan (so you can make it ahead).
