What is a floating island?

Floating island is a traditional French dessert with a unique art presentation. Floating islands are mainly made of egg whites, with meringue -based meringues sitting on the "sea" pudding sauces. Depending on the recipe, there is a floating island, also known as OEFS and La Neige or ile Fleott , a light, but an interesting dessert that can be relatively low in calories.

The classic floating island is created by filling the shallow dessert bowl with vanilla pudding and then starting the meringues to create the appearance of the islands. A disposable dessert can have one or several islands, depending on the size of the meringue. The islands are sometimes drizzled with caramel or nuts to complete.

The cream base on which the islands sits is usually some form of pudding, often the basic cream Englais. This thin pudding is formed by whipped egg yolks with granulated or secaradan sugar and then slowly adds hot milk to the end. CreamAnglaise is often flavored with vanilla extract or rum, but for a truly authentic taste, a split vanilla bean is added to the milk, when heated, then removed before serving. The use of this type of recipe rather than a prepared mixture of cream or recipe for the thickness of corn starch is preferable to produce a floating island, because the cream Anglaise remains thin, allowing meringues to float at the top.

meringues that make up the islands require formation of some patience and careful cooking. To make traditional islands, egg whites and sugar until stable peaks are formed. The mixer of the stand can be a huge advantage at this stage, as it can take quite a long time to achieve the desired consistency. After creation, the dough is dropped with a teaspoon into hot milk used for custard cream that is the islands. In order to create a more robust, more inflated version, the meringue canE -baked in the oven for about an hour at a very low fire. Cooking meringues in the oven allows you to make a day or two in advance, which can save a rare cooking time on the day of administration.

In modern desserts, the floating island is served on top of the pudding, but recipes from the 19th century actually require the pudin to be poured over the mouth instead. This method creates a mixed taste and can be easier to eat. Other variations on the traditional presentation include serving islands on the bed of fresh fruit such as berries, instead of cream. Fruit -based version can help reduce other calories.