Île Flottante
(eel flo-tahnt)
Chapter 5 — Desserts & Café
If you have ever lingered over the remains of a long, wine-soaked lunch at Pastis or Balthazar, you know this dessert. When the waiter drops the check on the white-paper tablecloth, all that should remain in your bowl is a smear of bitter amber caramel and a wisp of vanilla-flecked foam. The Floating Island is the great paradox of the Parisian brasserie, built from the heaviest ingredients in the kitchen but executed with a technique so refined that the final dish is lighter than air. We bake the meringue in a water bath inside a Dutch oven to build a structurally sound cloud, and we insist on cold-steeping the custard overnight. Giving the vanilla bean time to infuse into the cream is the non-negotiable secret to capturing true restaurant-level depth.
Before you start
Start the crème anglaise one day in advance.
Allowing the vanilla bean 12 to 24 hours to infuse into the cold cream is the non-negotiable secret to capturing true restaurant-level depth in a Parisian brasserie kitchen.
Ingredients
- whole milk1 1/2 cup
- heavy cream1 1/2 cup
- vanilla bean1 large
- egg yolks6 large
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- kosher salt1/4 tsp
- egg whites6 large
- cream of tartar1/4 tsp
- superfine sugar3/4 cup
- unsalted cultured French butter1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- water3 tbsp
- sliced almonds1/2 cup
Method
- 01
Infuse the dairy for the crème anglaise.
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the whole milk and heavy cream. Toss the scraped vanilla seeds and the empty pods into the pot, and place over medium heat until it just begins to steam and bubbles form around the edges. Do not let it boil; remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 15 minutes.
- 02
Blanch the yolks and temper the hot cream.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks, a half cup of granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt until the mixture is pale, thick, and falls in a ribbon from the whisk. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the yolks in a steady stream to temper them, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
- 03
Cook the custard to exactly 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and stir constantly with a heatproof spatula. Take the custard to à la nappe, the exact moment the proteins unfold at 180 to 182 degrees, so it coats the back of a spoon and leaves a clear path when you swipe a finger across it.
- 04
Chill the custard overnight.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl to catch the vanilla pods and any stray bits of cooked egg. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming, and chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- 05
Prepare a bain-marie in your Dutch oven.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously grease six individual ramekins with the cultured French butter and place them inside a large cast-iron Dutch oven.
- 06
Whip the meringue to stiff, glossy peaks.
In the impeccably clean bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room-temperature egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually rain in the superfine sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until the meringue holds its shape perfectly.
- 07
Bake the meringue islands in the water bath.
Divide the meringue evenly among the prepared ramekins and gently smooth the tops. Pour boiling water into the Dutch oven until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then transfer uncovered to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the meringues are puffed and slightly firm to the touch.
- 08
Toast the almonds and make the amber caramel.
Toast the sliced almonds in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat until golden brown. In a small saucepan, bring the remaining half cup of granulated sugar and three tablespoons of water to a boil over medium-high heat without stirring, until it transforms into a deep, reddish-amber caramel at 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from heat immediately and carefully swirl in one teaspoon of water to halt the cooking.
- 09
Assemble the dessert and serve immediately.
Pour a generous pool of the chilled, deeply fragrant crème anglaise into shallow, wide bowls. Run a knife around the edges of the baked meringues and invert them directly into the center of the custard, drizzle the hot caramel aggressively over the tops in a thin web, and garnish with the toasted almonds.
Notes
Employ the bistro rescue protocol if your custard begins to curdle.
If the temperature of your crème anglaise creeps above 182 degrees and begins to curdle or grain, immediately remove it from the heat and aggressively blitz the custard with an immersion blender to sheer the proteins back into a smooth emulsion.