TABELIA

AUTHENTIC RECIPE

Îles FlottantesFloating Islands

Floating Islands
Difficulty★★★★☆ Prep10 min Cook38 min servings4

Islands of milk-poached meringue float on cold crème anglaise and are drizzled with hot caramel. A beloved home and bistro classic requiring 2 techniques: thickening custard precisely to 83°C and poaching meringue without collapse. Built from eggs, milk and sugar, it embodies the foundations of French pastry.

Recipe developed and reviewed by the Tabelia Editorial TeamUpdated
100/ 100

AUTHENTICITY SCORE

Authenticity Score

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Ingredients (4 servings)

  • Whole milkFor both poaching the meringue and making crème anglaise.750 ml
  • EggsYolks for the custard and whites for meringue.6 pieces
  • Granulated sugar for the custard80 g
  • Granulated sugar for the meringueStabilizes the meringue’s bubble structure.60 g
  • Granulated sugar for the caramelForms the structure of the finishing caramel.80 g
  • Water for the caramelInitial water to dissolve sugar evenly.30 ml
  • Vanilla beanSplit lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add seeds and pod to the milk.1 pod
  • SaltAdd to egg whites to help whipping.1 pinch

Method

15 min

Separate the eggs

  • 1 Separate 6 eggs into yolks and whites. Separate 1 at a time in a small bowl before transferring, so no yolk contaminates the whites.
  • 2 Split 1/2 vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife.
25 min

Warm the vanilla milk

  • 1 Heat 750 ml milk with the vanilla seeds and pod in a wide saucepan over medium heat; turn off just before boiling, when tiny bubbles appear around the edge.

Caution

Heat 750 ml milk with the vanilla seeds and pod in a wide saucepan over medium heat; turn off just before boiling, when tiny bubbles appear around the edge.

315 min

Poach the meringue in milk

  • 1 Whip the meringue and poach it, cooking gently without boiling.
  • 2 Whip the 6 egg whites with 1 pinch salt, add 60 g granulated sugar in 2 batches and beat to firm, upright peaks.
  • 3 Set the milk over low heat and keep the surface gently moving, around 80°C. Boiling will break the meringue.
  • 4 Use 2 large spoons to shape oval scoops and place in the milk. Poach for 2 minutes per side. Make 8 in several batches for 4 people, lifting them with a skimmer onto a paper-towel-lined tray. They are cooked when lightly springy under a finger.
410 min

Make the crème anglaise

  • 1 Beat the 6 egg yolks with 80 g granulated sugar in a bowl until pale and thick.
  • 2 Gradually stir in the milk used for poaching, passing it through a sieve.
  • 3 Return to the saucepan over low heat and stir the bottom constantly with a rubber spatula until 83°C. Once thick enough to coat the spatula and leave a clear finger-drawn trail, the nappé stage, remove immediately from the heat.

Caution

Above 84°C the yolks set and split into curds. Without a thermometer, remove when steam begins rising and thickening is perceptible. Never boil.

Tips

If it begins to split, immediately cool the pan base in cold water, strain into a clean bowl and stir; much of the smoothness can be recovered.

545 min

Chill the custard

  • 1 Transfer the custard to a bowl and stir over ice water to remove its initial heat. Press plastic wrap onto the surface and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
68 min

Finish with caramel and serve

  • 1 Make the finishing caramel and assemble the dessert.
  • 2 Divide the cold crème anglaise among 4 deep plates and float 2 meringue islands on each.
  • 3 Put 80 g granulated sugar and 30 ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook without stirring. Once evenly deep amber, turn off the heat and quickly drizzle fine threads over the meringue before it hardens.
A view of Rue Montorgueil, Paris
Rue Montorgueil, ParisA view of France Photo: Chabe01 · CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized; display cropped)

About this dish

This dessert, whose name means floating islands, has a history reaching into old French cookbooks. Strictly speaking, it overlaps with œufs à la neige, snow eggs, a sweet of poached whipped egg whites; today the names have become established for almost the same dish.

Made from only eggs, milk and sugar, it has long been a family dessert. Often remembered as a grandmother’s specialty, it is equally indispensable on bistro dessert menus. Some restaurants circulate a large platter heaped with meringue islands among diners.

Because it can be prepared and chilled ahead, it is served cold at the end of the meal. The contrast among vanishingly light meringue, cold crème anglaise and crisp set caramel—3 temperatures and textures—defines the dish today.

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