L’Ile Flotante Au Caramel
Ingredients
- 2 c milk
- 1 c water
- 6 egg whites
- 6 oz sugar
- creme anglaise (separate recipe)
- caramel (separate recipe)
- almonds (toasted & sliced)
Method
1. Using a flat-sided, non-reactive saucepan (preferably stainless steel), bring poaching liquid to a simmer. Don’t let the milk get too hot or it will souffle the eggs. Fill the saucepan 3/4 of the way up.
2. Using a mixer on high speed, whip the egg whites. When they start to lighten in color and thicken a bit, switch to medium speed and add a bit of sugar. Add around a tablespoon of sugar at a time to the egg whites until the reach a stiff peak. Don’t over-whip and don’t let them sit too long or they will start to deflate.
3. Shape meringue with two large silver spoons into quenelle (think football shape).
4. Gently drop the meringues into the liquid and poach 4-5 minutes per side, 3-4 meringues at a time. When they’re finished poaching they should have the soft, bouncy feel of a marshmallow.
5. Serve warm on top of 2 ½ – 3 oz cold crème anglaise (see below).
6. Drizzle with caramel at the last second: use a wood spoon handle to drizzle thin lines of caramel over the poached meringue.
7. Top with toasted almonds.
Notes
Creme Anglaise recipe: http://myst.starforge.co.uk/index.cgi?block=3&op=view&id=275
Caramel recipe: http://myst.starforge.co.uk/index.cgi?block=3&op=view&id=274
Serve in a shallow bowl, 1 meringue to a bowl. Sauce on the bottom, caramel and almonds on top.
Notes from source: "This recipes uses French meringues, which are cold meringues whipped to a stiff peak. It also uses crème anglaise, which is the base of vanilla ice cream in sauce form. The caramel on top is simple to make and should be done at the last second. What I love most about this dessert is that it plays with texture and temperature. The crème anglaise is served cold in a shallow bowl, the room temperature meringues are soft like marshmallows and sit in the liquid. Caramel and toasted almonds lay on top, creating a nice crunch. Everything is light. In my mind, it’s the perfect dessert."