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Dessert from France Floating Islands (Iles Flottantes)

Floating Islands (Iles Flottantes)

Tasha Powell
This is a classic dessert with a few steps, but you can skip the Crème Anglaise and use vanilla ice cream (see "out of time" note).
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time (see notes) 4 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
 
 

Ingredients for the Floating Islands:

  • 4 Egg Whites reserve the egg yolks for the crème anglaise
  • ¼ tsp Cream of Tartar
  • ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 oz Granulated Sugar

Ingredients for Decoration:

  • 4 oz Caramel in a squeeze bottle
  • 8 Sliced Almonds
  • Option: Garnish with edible gold from Easy Leaf Products!

Ingredients for Crème Anglaise (Vanilla Cream):

  • 8 oz milk, whole
  • 8 oz heavy cream (35%)
  • ½ Vanilla Bean split and scrape the beans
  • 2 oz Granulated Sugar
  • 4 large Egg Yolks

Instructions
 

Instructions for the Floating Islands:

  • In a shallow 12” pan, fill halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil.
  • Gently place a heaping tablespoon of whipped egg white and poach for 4 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, take out the finished island and store on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

To Make the Crème Anglaise – vanilla cream:

  • Pour milk and cream into a small pot, and scald. Add vanilla from pod to enhance the flavour
  • In a bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks until light yellow, then temper with the milk/cream, constantly whisking to avoid cooking the eggs.
  • Now cook in a double boiler until the mixture becomes thick (sticks to/coats the back of a wooden spoon). In French, that is called Nappé! Now, chill the pan in an ice bath for 10 minutes and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Plating Ideas:

  • Use 2 oz. serving to plate your Ile Flottante – I recommend a shallow bowl!
  • Use an offset spatula to transfer a poached egg island, then decorate with caramel (in a squeeze bottle) and slivers of almonds).
  • Option: Use Gold Flakes from Easy Leaf Productions to transform your dessert from Ordinary to Extraordinary

Notes

Order gold & silver flakes and shimmer from Easy Leaf Productions
Notes for the timing:
Prep time egg whites/poaching egg whites:  20 minutes
Prep time for egg whites to cool: 5 minutes.
Time to plate with crème anglaise (vanilla cream), caramel and almond slices: 15 minutes.
Time to prepare crème anglaise: 40 minutes
Time to cool crème anglaise: 4 hours
Out of time Tip: *For purposes of this recipe, buy some French vanilla ice cream and set aside 16 oz (let it melt) or make the crème anglaise with the recipe below the day before the class.
Keyword Custards, Eggs, French Desserts
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