To describe this dessert in words does not do it full justice, because it is only by eating it that you can fully appreciate how wonderful it is in its simplicity! Gently poached and fluffy white meringues are placed on a puddle of chilled, vanilla-flavoured crème Anglaise. Lightly toasted flaked almonds are scattered on top and everything is finished off by a drizzle of hot, slightly bitter caramel which sets immediately on touching the meringues and chilled custard to create a pleasing crunch against the soft creaminess of the rest of the dessert. For something that contains so few ingredients, it is truly delicious!
Although there are two or
three processes involved, this really isn’t a difficult dessert to make and it is
worth doing as it looks so pretty when it is finished and ready to serve up; a
perfect dish to serve at the end of a rich meal when you want something with a
sweet edge without being heavy to eat.
The dish may be served
without the addition of the toasted nuts and the caramel, but for me their
inclusion elevates this dish into something that is sublime.
I remember the very first
time that I ever tasted Floating Islands many years ago. My Aunt Barbara had
just bought her first house and had invited me, along with my Mother,
Grandmother and other Aunt, Patricia to Sunday dinner in her new home. I can’t
recall what she served as a starter or main course, but I do remember the
dessert – Floating Islands! I had been used to eating baked meringue in Pavlova
form as it had long been a family favourite, but I had never eaten poached
meringues before. Served with the chilled custard, I thought they were
absolutely divine and longed to eat them again.
I made a version of
Floating islands during the semi-finals of MasterChef Ireland and whilst they
weren’t perfect and I was under a huge amount of pressure competing against
three other very talented cooks, it reminded me of how much I loved them. Since
then I have tried out a number of different recipes and after a lot of tweaking
and adjustments, this is the one that I am most happy with.
Although the dish is
sweet, it shouldn’t be TOO sweet and I found that many of the recipes that I
tried included far too much sugar, so I cut back on this a little, where
possible. Although you can add vanilla paste or a good quality vanilla extract
to flavour the crème Anglaise custard, I recommend using the seeds of a vanilla
pod. I was recently given a package of plump, fragrant vanilla pods by one of
the many wonderful people that I have got to know through writing this blog,
appearing on MasterChef Ireland and tweeting on Twitter. These vanilla pods
were brought back by the beautiful Brinda when she visited Mauritius this past
Christmas… so Brinda, this recipe is for you, in grateful acknowledgement and
appreciation of the thoughtful gift that you gave me.
Ingredients:
Crème Anglaise:400ml whole milk
100ml single cream
1 vanilla pod, halved
lengthways and seeds scraped out
5 large egg yolks
60g caster sugar
Meringues:
5 large egg whites
125g caster sugar
500ml milk
500ml water
To finish:
100g caster sugar
50g flaked almonds,
toasted in a moderate oven or dry frying pan for about 5 minutes until light
golden brown
Method:
Crème Anglaise:1. Place the milk, cream, the vanilla seeds and pod into a medium sized saucepan and set over a moderate heat. Bring up to the boil. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks and caster sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk together until pale and fluffy.
2. Once the milk has just reached boiling point, remove from the heat and scoop out the vanilla pod. (Separately, this can be allowed to dry out and placed in a jar of sugar to impart a gently vanilla flavour to the sugar which can then be used when baking cakes etc.) Pour the hot milk in a steady stream onto the eggs and sugar, whisking all the time until everything is well incorporated.
3. Return the milk mixture
to the saucepan and heat gently over a low temperature, stirring all the time,
to ensure that the eggs do not scramble. After about 10 minutes, the custard
should have thickened slightly – enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove
from the heat and place into a clean bowl. Allow to cool and then refrigerate
until ready to use.
Meringues:
4. Place the egg whites in a
large mixing bowl and whisk together using a hand-held electric mixer until
stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time mixing well after
each addition until all the sugar has been incorporated and you have a thick,
glossy meringue.
5. Meanwhile, place the milk
and water into a wide saucepan with low sides. Bring up to simmering point and
then allow to simmer very gently.
6. Using two large serving
spoons shape quenelles out of the meringue mixture and place one at a time into
the poaching liquid, turning them after about 4 minutes and poaching them on
the other side. (Do not allow the poaching liquid to boil as the heat will be
too intense and the meringues will expand too much and then collapse).
7. Poach the meringues in
batches, fitting four or five into the saucepan at a time, depending on the
size of the pan used. When poached, remove with a slotted spoon and allow to
drain on a wire rack placed over some disposable kitchen paper. (This mixture
will make approximately 12 poached meringues).
To finish:
8. Pour some chilled crème
Anglaise into a shallow dish and place 2 poached meringues on top of the
custard in each dish. Scatter over the toasted flaked almonds and set the
dishes aside while you make the caramel.
9. Place the sugar in a small
saucepan with 1tblsp of water over a moderate heat and allow the sugar to
dissolve. Once the sugar has dissolved, you can increase the heat and allow to
bubble away until a dark caramel starts to form. Remove from the heat and very
carefully, using a teaspoon, drizzle some of the caramel over the meringues in
each dish. Serve.
Serves 6-7.
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