Ile Flottante Floating Island Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the caramel, heat 1 1/2 cups of the sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan until the sugar dissolves. Cook over medium heat until the syrup turns a warm caramel color. Don't stir, just swirl it in the pan. Off the heat, add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla; be careful, the syrup will bubble violently. Stir and cook over high heat until the caramel reaches 230 degrees F (thread stage) on a candy thermometer. Set aside.
• For the praline, combine the almonds with 1/4 cup of the caramel and spread them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the almonds are lightly browned. Allow to cool at room temperature and then break up in pieces.
• Lower the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• For the meringues, beat the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed until frothy. Turn the mixer on high speed and add the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Beat until the egg whites are very stiff and glossy. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. With dessert spoons place 12 mounds of meringue on the parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• For serving, pour creme anglaise on the bottom of individual plates. Place a meringue on top of each serving, drizzle with caramel sauce, sprinkle with praline, and serve.
• To make a day or two ahead, leave the caramel and praline at room temperature
• and refrigerate the creme anglaise. Bake the meringues before guests arrive and assemble the desserts just before serving.
• Beat the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, or until very thick. Reduce to low speed, and add the cornstarch.
• With the mixer still on low, slowly pour the hot milk into the eggs. Pour the custard mixture into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened. The custard will coat the spoon like heavy cream. Don't cook it above 180 degrees F or the eggs will scramble!
• Pour the sauce through a fine strainer, add the vanilla extract, Cognac, and vanilla seeds, if using, and chill.

Steps:

• Place the currants in a small bowl and add warm water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes or longer. Drain and pat dry.
• Place the spongecake loaf on a flat surface and, holding a sharp knife parallel to the surface, cut the cake lengthwise into four flat slices, each approximately the same thickness.
• Arrange the slices close together. Sprinkle or brush with the kirschwasser or maraschino liqueur.
• Heat the apricot preserves in a small saucepan, stirring. When slightly liquid, remove from the heat. Brush the spongecake slices with the preserves.
• Use half of the currants and sprinkle an equal portion of them over the layers. Sprinkle each layer with an equal amount of the almonds. Reshape the loaf by piling the layers one on top of the other.
• Whip the cream and when it is partly beaten, sprinkle in the sugar. Continue beating until it is stiff. Coat the reassembled loaf with the whipped cream, top and sides.
• Sprinkle the remaining currants and the pistachios over the loaf. Set the loaf in a rectangular serving dish, leaving a margin for the sauce. Pour an English custard or a raspberry sauce around the cake and serve sliced.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in lower third. Butter a 4 1/4-cup charlotte mold; set aside. Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer meringue to prepared mold. Tap it on counter to remove air pockets. Butter a round of parchment; place, buttered side down, over meringue.
• Put mold in a medium saucepan; transfer to oven. Carefully pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the side of the mold. Bake until meringue is puffed slightly over top of mold, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mold to a wire rack; remove parchment. Let cool 30 minutes. Meringue can be refrigerated in the mold up to 1 day.
• To serve, unmold onto a platter; drain any liquid. Spoon creme around meringue, and top with sugar crown.

Steps:

• Meringue: Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush a 10-to-12-cup Bundt pan with oil, and invert onto a paper towel to drain excess.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt with a mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in superfine sugar, 1 table- spoon at a time, gradually increasing speed to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla.
• Transfer meringue to pan, pressing to remove air pockets. Smooth with a small offset spatula. Set Bundt pan in a roasting pan; transfer to oven. Carefully pour boiling water into roasting pan until it's 2 inches up sides of Bundt pan. Bake until meringue is puffed and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Transfer Bundt pan to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
• Crème Anglaise: Combine milk and cream in a saucepan. Scrape vanilla seeds into pan, and add pod. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a heatproof bowl, whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, and salt. Pour half of milk mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return entire mixture to pan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, unmold meringue onto a cake plate; refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Caramel: Fill a medium bowl with cold water. Heat granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over high, swirling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook, swirling occasionally, until mixture is dark amber in color, 3 to 6 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium. Carefully stir in 1/2 cup water (mixture will spatter), and swirl to combine. Cook until caramel reaches 220° on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat. Dip bottom of pan into bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drizzle caramel over meringue (it should pool on cake plate), then slice and transfer to serving plates. Serve with crème anglaise. (Meringue can be refrigerated, uncovered, up to 3 hours. Crème anglaise can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 2 days.)