Île flottante

île flottante or floating island in english. Why it's called floating island? well..it's a meringue floating on a sea of custard sauce. Nice uh?!

Anyway, this is my own version of floating island. Originally the custard is made from milk only but I used half and half and I'm telling you it tasted much better. I also poached the meringue in simmering water instead of milk. But you can use milk as you please.

This dessert is definitely one that impresses. Pieter?s reaction was ?whoa!? when I showed him my very 1st floating island. (this was my 2nd by the way) He didn't even want to touch it as he told me it was too pretty to eat.

floating island - serves 4
for the meringue
2 cups water
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
toasted slice almonds (optional)

for the custard
2 cups half and half
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

for the caramel
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

to make custard:
Bring the half and half to a boil.Put the yolk and sugar in a heavy saucepan and whisk vigorously until thick and pale. Still whisking, drizzle in a little of the hot half and half, this will temper the yolks so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining half and half. Put the saucepan over medium-low heat and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cook until the custard thickens, lightens in color and coats the spoon.Remove from the heat, stir in vanilla and strain the custard into 4 dishes, and let cool to room temperature.
Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down against the surface of the custard to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 8 hours.to make the meringue:
Bring water to a gentle boil. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
With a wooden spoon, scoop a balls of the meringue into the simmering water. Don't over crowd the pan.
Poach the meringues for 1 minute, gently turn them over and poach 1 minute more, then lift them out with a slotted spoon out of the water and onto the towel.
The meringues can be stored for about 1 hour, loosely covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator until ready to use.to make caramel: this can be made just before you serve the floating island as the caramel harden too quickly.
Stir the sugar and water together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Increase the heat, bring the sugar to a boil and cook without stirring, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is a deep caramel color and has the consistency of a thick syrup.To assemble:
Get the custard out of the fridge, Place a meringue on top of each serving dish, drizzle with caramel sauce and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve immediately.