Iles Flottantes
Floating Islands
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
100g sugar
1g cream of tartar
500ml milk
Creme Anglaise:
500ml milk
5 egg yolks
75g sugar
Caramel:
100g sugar
water
1. Prepare your creme anglaise. Put the milk in a pot on the stove with 1/2 the sugar and slowly bring to the boil. Whisk your yolks with the other 1/2 of the sugar. Prepare a bowl filled with ice. transfer a bit of the boiling milk to the yolks and whisk, then transfer all the yolks into the milk, and slowly stir with a spatula (this technique is called vanner) The consistency you want is for it to coat the back of the spoon. Try not to boil it again. When the consistency is right put the pot into the ice bowl to stop the cooking. Then cover and put in the fridge.
2.Prepare the meringue. Whip the whites to soft peaks, and begin to add the sugar bit by bit, coming back to soft peaks between each addition. Warm the milk to approx. 60 degrees, and prepare a plate with paper towel to drain the meringues. Using two spoons, shape the meringue into little ovals, and poach them in the milk. they should feel spongy when they are done. Transfer them to paper towel to drain.
3. Once the creme anglaise is cool, pour it into bowls and top with floating islands.
4. Prepare your caramel. Have a bowl of ice water standing by. Melt sugar and water in a pot. DO NOT STIR! I know it's hard but resist every temptation to stir this. Just DON'T. You can shake the pot a bit but don't stir it! When it turns a light golden honey colour immediately put the pot into the ice bath and tilt it to move the caramel around inside. This will stop the cooking process. Using a spoon, drizzle the caramel over the floating islands, and serve.
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