Île flottante has three main components – crème anglaise, meringue, and caramel sauce. I usually play with my recipes, perhaps a bit too much sometimes, but this recipe, which comes from David Leibovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris, was a teeny bit intimidating, and I really wanted it to be perfect, so I followed it exactly. And perfect it was. If you will, let me wax poetic about it, just for a minute: imagine, cold, thick, custardy crème anglaise, with a heady vanilla scent and just a little bit of sweetness. Now add the best meringue you’ve ever had, poached, rather than baked, eggy and a bit salty, and so tender that it literally dissolves in your mouth. Finish with a deeply burnt caramel sauce, thin and the tiniest bit smoky. So, so good.

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Île Flottante

(serves 4)

For the caramel:

  • 1 c. sugar
  • 3/4 c. water

Evenly spread sugar in a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until sugar begins to liquefy.  Begin to stir gently to keep from burning.  Cook until all sugar has melted and turned a deep brown.  When it has begun to smoke slightly, remove from heat and carefully add the water, stirring.  Be warned: the water will make the hot sugar bubble fairly violently.  Return the pan to the heat and stir, breaking up any caramelized chunks, until caramel is smooth.  Cool completely, and refrigerate.  Lasts for a week.

For the crème anglaise:

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 c. whole milk*
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise*

*Note:  I used 3/4 c. skim milk and 3/4 c. heavy cream because that’s what I had.  I also used 1 1/2 TBS of vanilla extract rather than a vanilla bean.  Results were very good.

  1. Prepare an ice bath: place a medium-large metal bowl or pot in a large bowl filled with ice-water.  Place a strainer over the top of the pot.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
  3. Heat the milk, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat until very warm.  Remove just before it begins to simmer.
  4. Gradually pour the hot milk over the egg yolks, stirring constantly to prevent egg from scrambling.  Return egg and milk mixture to pan, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and scraping the edges, until custard begins to thicken.
  5. Remove from heat and pour immediately through strainer into chilled bowl/pot.  Let cool completely, and then refrigerate, covered, for up to three days.

For the meringue:

  • 4 egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 6 TBS sugar
  • pinch cream of tartar, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F.  Very lightly oil a 2-quart loaf pan.  Set loaf pan inside a shallow roasting pan.
  2. Beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until frothy.  Add salt and cream of tartar and continue beating, on high, until the whites start to hold their shape.  Add sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating meringue until it is stiff and shiny.
  3. Spread meringue into prepared loaf pan.  Use a damp spatula to smooth the top and press out any air pockets.
  4. Fill the roasting pan about halfway full with warm water.  Bake for 20-25 minutes [Book says 25, I had great results at 20], or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack.  When cool, carefully turn out onto a large plate or platter.  Keeps in fridge for a day or two.

To assemble:

Ladle chilled crème anglaise into bowls.  Using a damp knife, carefully slice meringue loaf into rectangles and float on top of crème anglaise.  Drizzle with room temperature caramel sauce.  Top with spun sugar, or toasted almonds.

Dining and Cooking