Floating island is a wonderful typical bistro dessert.
Baked egg whites are floating on a sea of crème anglaise, and topped with caramel.
For 4 people
Ingredients
For the crème anglaise:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1,5 cup of milk (335 ml)
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
For the baked egg whites:
- 4 egg whites at room temperature
- 1/3 cup of granulated sugar (65g )
For the caramel:
- 5 tsp of granulated sugar (20g )
Directions
Prepare the crème anglaise:
- Boil the milk into a saucepan with the vanilla extract. When it’s boiling, turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a bowl, whisk 4 egg yolks with 50 g of sugar.
- Pour a little bit of boiled milk over it while mixing well.
- Then, return the mixture into the pan over low heat and let thicken by stirring with a spatula. The cream is ready when it coats the spatula.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and let it cool.
Preparation of the egg whites:
- Preheat your oven at 350°F.
- Beat the egg whites into a bowl while slowly increasing the speed. When it’s bubbling, add ¼ of granulated sugar and keep beating. Finally, increase to maximum speed while pouring gradually the rest of the sugar. Stop beating when egg whites are really firm.
- Fill silicon cupcake molds with beaten egg whites and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Set it into the oven for 3 minutes. Then, set it off the oven and let rest few min.
- Unmold the egg whites on a plate and set aside into the refrigerator for 5 min.
Preparation of the caramel:
- Heat 20 g of sugar in a saucepan over low heat until sugar turns into golden syrup.
- With a tablespoon, take some syrup and pour in on a coated plate to make sugar filaments.
- Let it cool before gently removing from the parchment paper.
For the dessert presentation:
Pour the crème anglaise into a little bowl (or other deep dish), put the egg whites on it, and decorate with some caramel filaments.
Et voilà! Simply delicious!
Chef’s tip:
This traditional French Bistro dessert can be topped with roasted flakes almonds to add a crunchy touch.