Floating Island Recipe
Today, dive into a truly decadent dessert: floating island! Cloudy egg whites, coated in caramel and bathed in a smooth custard… A sweet madness concocted by Francis Jacques, the chef of the Grande Brasserie in Paris.
Ingredients
- 420g of whole milk
- 210 g of liquid cream
- 65g of cane sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 vanilla bean
- 5 g cornstarch
- 120g of egg white
- 40 g of crystal sugar
- 60 g of water
- 30 g of crystal sugar
- 50g of flaked almonds
Method · 1 h
- Heat the milk, cream, and vanilla bean without bringing it to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the cornstarch. Gradually pour the milk and cream mixture over the egg yolks in three additions, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the heat and stir until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat when the custard begins to thicken and continue whisking to prevent curdling. Refrigerate overnight or place the saucepan in a bucket of ice water for 15 minutes to cool more quickly.
- Using a whisk or a stand mixer, beat the eggs and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer the egg whites to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe them gently into a buttered mold. Place the mold in a low oven with a pan of boiling water until stiff peaks form.
- Combine the water and sugar and leave on the heat without stirring. When a caramel color appears, stir and stop the cooking process by plunging the pan into a bucket of ice water. Add a tablespoon of the mixture to the hardened caramel and return to the heat, stirring until you reach the desired consistency.
- In a shallow bowl, pour 3 tablespoons of custard. Add the egg white and top with a spoonful of caramel, some toasted slivered almonds, and then another spoonful of caramel.
