Best Floating Islands Recipes

FLOATING ISLANDS

Steps:

• Heat the milk and vanilla in a pan until steaming. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Continue whisking while you pour the hot milk over the egg yolks in a steady stream, until combined. Transfer back to the pan, and heat over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 mins. It shouldn't be custard thick, more of a thick double cream consistency. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with a scrunched piece of baking parchment and leave to cool. Once cool, chill until ready to serve.
• Put the egg white in a stand mixer. Whisk for 4-5 mins until you get soft peaks. With the motor still running, add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, allowing it to be incorporated before adding the next. When all the sugar has been added, whisk for another 2-3 mins until stiff.
• Pour the milk and 200ml water into a wide pan or medium frying pan and heat until steaming, but not boiling. Add heaped teaspoons of the meringue mix into the milk, using another teaspoon to slide the meringue off the spoon, and gently poach for 3-4 mins (you don't need to move them around). Carefully turn the meringues over and cook the other side for 3-4 mins until set. Remove the meringues from the milk and leave to cool on a plate.
• To make the caramel, heat the sugar, 1 tbsp water and pinch of salt in a small pan and cook on a medium heat until you get a lightly golden caramel, about 10 mins. Keep warm for drizzling at the end.
• To serve, briefly stir, then spoon the custard into four ramekins or small bowls. Top each with a meringue and a drizzle of caramel.

FLOATING ISLANDS

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into heavy small saucepan; add beans. Add milk and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and steep 10 minutes.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in heavy medium saucepan until thick, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in warm milk mixture (including vanilla beans). Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 9 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into small bowl. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• For meringues:
• Lay smooth kitchen towel on work surface. Pour milk into medium (10-inch) skillet. Bring milk to simmer over medium heat.
• Using electric mixer, beat egg whites in large bowl until foamy. Add salt and beat until whites hold soft peaks. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites are stiff and glossy. Scoop some meringue (about twice the size of an egg) onto large oval spoon. Using another large spoon and gently transferring meringue from spoon to spoon, shape meringue into smooth oval. Drop oval into milk. Quickly shape 2 or 3 more meringues, dropping each into milk. Simmer meringues 1 minute. Using heatproof rubber spatula, turn meringues over in milk. Simmer 1 minute longer (meringues will puff up while poaching). Using slotted spoon, transfer meringues to towel (meringues will deflate slightly as they cool). Repeat process, shaping and then poaching enough meringues to make total of 12. Transfer meringues to waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
• For caramel:
• Stir sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush to dissolve any sugar crystals. Boil until syrup is pale golden color, occasionally swirling pan, about 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Let syrup cool until thick enough to fall from tines of fork in ribbons, about 8 minutes. (If caramel becomes too thick, rewarm slightly over low heat, stirring constantly.)
• Spoon some sauce into center of each plate. Arrange 2 meringues on each. Dip fork into caramel and wave back and forth over meringues so that caramel comes off in strands that harden like threads, and serve.

FLOATING ISLANDS

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the vanilla bean. Let sit 15 minutes to infuse. Whisk yolks with 1 cup of the sugar then temper with hot milk. Return to the heat and cook gently to thicken. Strain and place over ice water and stir to cool and thicken. Chill.
• Simmer 2 quarts of water in a large frying pan but do not boil. Meanwhile, beat the whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add the remaining 3/4-cup of sugar and continue beating until glossy, about 30 more seconds. Place a large sheet pan next to the water, lined with waxed paper dampened slightly. Using a large star tip or 2 dessert spoons or an ice cream scoop, squeeze out rosettes onto the paper.
• Using a spatula, lift the rosettes off the paper 1 at time and slide them into the simmering water. Poach for 7 minutes on the bottom then turn over for 3 minutes, not allowing them to touch while poaching. Drain on a dish towel. Remove to a sheet pan and chill.
• Crystallized Rose Petals: Whisk water and egg white in medium-sized mixing bowl. Dip rose petals into mixture and stick to inside rim of bowl to drain. Dip both sides of drained petals in sugar and place on a sheet pan with parchment paper. Let dry for 4 hours in a warm place.
• Serve floating islands in a bowl of the vanilla sauce, garnished with rose petals.

ALMOND FLOATING ISLANDS WITH CUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• For the rum custard sauce
• Put the milk, cornstarch, and sugar in saucepan, and stir occasionally as you heat it. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. When the milk comes to a strong boil, pour it all at once into the yolks while beating continuously with a whisk. The quantity of boiling milk as compared with the quantity of egg yolk is such that the egg yolk will be cooked by the hot milk and not require further cooking. Strain the custard immediately through a fine strainer into a bowl, and stir in the cold cream. When lukewarm, add the vanilla and rum. Set aside until serving time.
• For the butter caramel:
• Put the sugar in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of the water, and stir just enough to moisten the sugar. Place over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture turns caramel-colored (10 to 12 minutes). When caramelized, remove from the stove, add the butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water, and stir until well mixed. Divide the caramel among eight individual molds with a capacity of 1 to 1 1/2 cups each. Let the caramel cool, then butter lightly around the sides of the molds.
• For the meringue-nut mixture:
• Beat the egg whites until very firm. Sprinkle the sugar quickly on top while beating at high speed with the whisk, and continue beating for another 10 seconds. Fold in the chopped almonds.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag without a tip, and squeeze it into the caramelized molds. Tap the molds on a potholder set on the table, so there are no air bubbles in the center of the meringue. Arrange the molds in a roasting pan surrounded by lukewarm tap water. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until well set in the center and puffy. Remove from the water, and let cool.
• When cool, the individual desserts can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

FLOATING ISLANDS WITH LEMON-SCENTED CUSTARD SAUCE AND RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Bring cream and milk to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Using whisk, beat egg yolks and sugar in medium bowl until light, about 2minutes. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Pour custard into bowl. Stir in lemon juice and peel. Cool slightly, then chill uncovered until cold. do ahead Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.
• For meringue islands:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes and dust with sugar. Place on baking sheet. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites with pinch of salt in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Divide meringue among prepared souffl dishes, mounding slightly. Bake until meringues puff and begin to brown lightly on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature, at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours (meringues will deflate).
• Divide custard sauce among 6 shallow soup bowls. Carefully run small sharp knife around edge of meringues to loosen, if necessary. Invert meringues, then turn top side up and place on sauce. Garnish with lemon slices and sprinkle with raspberries.

FLOATING ISLANDS II

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Gradually pour in 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
• Bring milk to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Drop egg white mixture in six separate mounds into simmering milk, leaving one inch between mounds. Poach 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Remove meringues with slotted spoon and drain. Remove milk from heat and set aside.
• Beat eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in milk from the saucepan.
• Cook milk mixture in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Let cool before stirring in vanilla.
• To serve, pour custard in a dish and top with poached meringues.

FLOATING ISLANDS WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the caramel sauce, put the sugar in a small, heavy-based pan over a high heat and cook for a few mins until it has melted to an amber colour. Remove from the heat and carefully add 3 tbsp water - watch out as it will spit quite violently. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool completely.
• Whisk the egg whites and vanilla essence together to soft peaks, add the caster sugar and whisk until you have a stiff, glossy mix. Grease four ramekins or small pudding moulds with sunflower oil, then gently spoon the meringue mixture into a piping bag. Snip the end off the bag and pipe out the mixture to half fill the ramekins. Put them in a large shallow pan or roasting tin and pour boiling water from a kettle into the pan around the ramekins, stopping when the water comes halfway up the ramekins or before it fills the pan. Cover with a lid or tin foil and place over a medium heat so that the water is just simmering. Cook for 4-6 mins, then take the ramekins out of the water and, while still warm, run a palette knife all the way around the edge of the meringue to release it and carefully turn out onto a sheet of baking paper. Set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hrs until serving.
• To make the crème anglaise, put the milk and cream into a large pan. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and pod to the pan and bring to the boil, then take off the heat to cool slightly. Whisk together the egg yolks and 75g of sugar until pale and creamy, then whisk in the cornflour and 4 tbsp sugar.
• Discard the vanilla pod, then add the egg mixture to the warm milk and cream, and heat gently for 4-5 mins, stirring continuously until it starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve into a large jug and cover with cling film. Leave to cool, then chill in the fridge until serving.
• To serve, pour a pool of chilled custard into each bowl then carefully top with a meringue. Drizzle over the caramel syrup and serve immediately.

LEMON PUDDING WITH FLOATING MERINGUE ISLANDS

Steps:

• MERINGUE: Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 2 minutes or until soft peaks form. (When the beaters are lifted out of the bowl, they form peaks that fold over.) Add the sugar and beat for 1 minute or until thick and glossy. Form 4 mounds of meringue in an 8 or 9 inch shallow baking dish and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges.
• FILLING: Place the sugar, cornstarch salt and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until it begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute. Place the egg yolks in a small bowl and beat slightly. Very slowly whisk some of the hot mixture into the eggs to temper them. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute or until the mixture barely begins to bubble. (Do not allow the pudding to boil or the eggs will curdle.) Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon juice.
• Carefully pour the pudding around the meringue. The meringue may loosen on their own and pop to the top of the pudding. If they do not, carefully run a knife or spatula around them to loosen them. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until ready to serve.

"FLOATING ISLANDS" WITH CHOCOLATE MOUSSE AND CRèME ANGLAISE

Steps:

• Make meringue:
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray six 1/2-cup muffin cups with oil spray. Whisk sugar and egg whites in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk egg-white mixture until thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat meringue until soft peaks form.
• Reserve 1/2 cup meringue in bowl. Cover; chill. Spoon remaining meringue into prepared muffin cups, dividing equally. Smooth tops with knife. Place muffin cups in large glass baking dish. Pour enough hot water into dish to come halfway up sides of muffin cups. Bake until meringue is set but still moist, about 25 minutes. Remove muffin cups from dish. Cool to room temperature. Cover; chill.
• Make mousse:
• Place 3 ounces chopped chocolate in medium bowl. Bring cream to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Pour cream over chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Let chocolate mixture stand at room temperature until cool to touch but not set, about 30 minutes.
• Beat crème fraîche in another medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold crème fraîche and reserved 1/2 cup meringue into chocolate mixture. Leaving meringue in each muffin cup, scoop out center of each meringue, forming cup with 1/2-inch-thick bottom and sides. Fill meringue cups with mousse. Cover and chill until set, at least 1 hour.
• Spoon Crème Anglaise onto plates. Run small sharp knife around sides of meringue cups. Carefully turn meringues out. Place atop sauce. Sprinkle shaved chocolate over. Garnish with berries.

STRAWBERRY FLOATING ISLANDS

Steps:

• Beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until softly peaked. Add four tablespoons of the sugar and beat until stiff. Gradually add all but one-third cup of the sugar, beating constantly, until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
• Heat a large pan of water until the steam rises from the top but before it has come to a simmer. Using two large tablespoons or an ice cream scoop, form large ovals or rounds of the egg white mixture and drop them into the water. Poach for two minutes, turn once and poach them another two minutes. Remove the meringues as they are done and drain them on absorbent paper. Refrigerate for at least one hour. You may not be able to poach all the meringues at one time.
• Puree two pints of the strawberries and season the puree with the remaining sugar and the lemon juice. Add the cinnamon. Refrigerate the puree. Slice the remaining strawberries in half lengthwise and refrigerate. To serve, spoon the strawberry puree into a shallow serving bowl and float the meringues on top. Scatter the sliced strawberries around and over the meringues and serve.

FLOATING ISLANDS (MERINGUE/CUSTARD)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Gradually pour in 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.
• # Bring milk to a simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Drop egg white mixture in six separate mounds into simmering milk, leaving one inch between mounds. Poach 3 to 5 minutes, turning once. Remove meringues with slotted spoon and drain. Remove milk from heat and set aside.
• Beat eggs and egg yolks in a large bowl. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar. Stir in milk from the saucepan.
• # Cook milk mixture in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Let cool before stirring in vanilla.
• To serve, pour custard in a dish and top with poached meringues.

FLOATING ISLANDS

Steps:

• 1. Bring 2 cups of the milk to a boil, then remove from heat. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, add to milk, cover and steep for about 15 minutes.
• 2. Beat the egg yolks and slowly sprinkle in 1/3 cup of the sugar. Continue beating until thick and pale yellow in color. Remove bean from milk. Scrape seed from bean and add to milk, discard pod. Pour milk, in a fine stream into egg yolks while beating them continuously. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring until it forms a custard thick enough to coat the back of a silver spoon , about 20 minutes; please do not rush the process or the eggs will scramble. Pour custard through a strainer( in case some egg did scramble) and into a shallow serving dish. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
• 3. Beat 4 of the egg whites, until foamy, then add 1/3 cup of the sugar very slowly, continuing to beat until egg whites are shiny and stiff, but not dry.(freeze the other 2 egg whites for another use).
• 4. Put remaining 2 cups of milk in a large shallow pan and bring to a low simmer.Using a large slotted spoon, form big egg shapes of the whipped egg whites and poach them in the milk for 30 seconds on each side. Do not over cook. Put the "egg shapes" on a clean towel to drain.
• 5. Combine the remaining 2/3 cup sugar with 1/3 cup of water in a small heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until sugar caramelizes, turns amber in color. Remove pan from heat to prevent caramel from burning. This can happen in an instant, so it is best to take the pan from the heat just before the sugar darkens, because it will continue cooking. Cool for 5 minutes or until the caramel forms into threads when drizzled from the tines of a fork.
• 6. Using a slotted spoon, carefully arrange the "egg" shapes on top of the custard. Dip a fork into the slightly cooled caramel- you will have to work quickly- and wave the fork over the dessert to form threads of caramel that crisscross and tangle. Serve immediately.. This will be challenging recipe I hope some of you make this beautiful dessert..I know you can do it!

JULIA CHILD'S FLOATING ISLANDS RECIPE - CAFE JOHNSONIA

Steps:

• For creme anglaise: Preliminaries. Whisk the egg yolks in a 2-quart saucepan, adding the sugar by fairly rapid spoonfuls--if it goes in all at once the yolks can turn grainy.
• Continue beating 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. By dribbles, stir in the hot milk--stirring, not beating, because you do not want the sauce to foam.
• Heating the sauce. Set the saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring rather slowly with the wooden spoon, and reaching all over the bottom and sides of the pan. The sauce should gradually come near--but not to--the simmer. You must be careful not to overheat it and scramble the yolks, but you must have the courage to heat it enough so that it thickens. Indications that it is almost ready are that surface bubbles begin to subside, and almost at once you may see a whiff of steam rising. Watch out at this point, you are almost there!
• When is it done? The sauce is done when it coats the wooden spoon with a light creamy layer thick enough to hold when you draw your finger across it, as shown.
• Finishing. Beat in the vanilla, and the optional butter and rum. Serve warm, tepid, or cold.
• Ahead of time note: The sauce may be refrigerated in a covered container for several days.
• For meringue: Preliminaries. Butter a straight-sided 4-quart baking dish 3" deep and dust the inside with confectioners sugar, knocking out the excess. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Beating the egg whites. Start beating the egg whites at moderate speed until the foam throughout, beat in the salt and cream of tartar, then gradually increase the speed to fast until soft peaks are formed.
• Beating in the sugar. Beat in the sugar by big spoonfuls and continue until stiff shining peaks are formed. Beat in the vanilla, and turn the meringue into the prepared baking dish.
• Baking. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 250 degrees F. Set in the lower middle of the oven and bake until the meringue has risen 3 to 4 inches.
• When is it done? A skewer or straw plunged through it comes out clean.
• Cooling. Set the casserole on a rack. The meringue will sink down to about its original height as it cools.
• Ahead of time note: covered airtight, it will keep several days in the refrigerator or several weeks in the freezer.
• For caramel sauce: Preliminaries to boiling. Blend the sugar and water in the saucepan and bring to the simmer. Remove from heat, and swirl the pan by its handle to be sure that the sugar has dissolved completely and the liquid is perfectly clear.
• Caramelizing the syrup. Cover the pan tightly and boil the syrup for several minutes over moderately high heat--keep peeking, after a minute or so, and boil until the bubbles are thick. Uncover the pan and continue boiling, swirling the pan slowly by its handle. In a number of seconds the syrup will begin to color. Continue boiling and swirling a few seconds more, until it is a light caramel brown, then remove from heat. Stir in the butter and cream. Put back on the heat and cook over a low heat and stir with a fork until any hardened caramel melts and the sauce is smooth. Set the bottom of the pan in the cold water to cool it and stop the cooking.
• To serve: Pour the custard sauce into a serving platter (or individual dessert plates). Run a knife around the edge of the meringue dish and push with a rubber spatula to loosen. Unmold the meringue onto a cookie sheet. Cut it into 6-8 chunks and arrange them over the sauce.
• Just before serving, reheat the caramel until you can lift the syrup with a fork and dribble thick strands over meringue. Add a few fresh berries on the side, if desired.