Floating+Islands

=Floating Islands=

A Floating island is a French dessert that is made up of meringue, a mixture of egg whites and sugar, and crème anglaise, a vanilla custard. Meringue was invented in a Swiss village by an Italian chef in the 18th century. The crème anglaise is known for having ancient Roman origins. Usually the custard has a thin viscosity, but in some variations, it can be thicker. Also, a cook will add dumplings and pour the custard sauce over them. The dumplings and egg whites will float on top, giving this French dessert its name of ‘floating island’.

The egg whites are whisked with sugar, and sometimes a vanilla extract, then poured into some sort of a mold, that has a thin lining of caramel. To make the crème anglaise, a cook mixes egg yolks, milk, sugar, and vanilla. The mixture is then put into a bain-marie, which cooks almost like a crock pot by heating the ingredients, then gradually fixes its temperature to keep whatever’s inside warm over a long period of time; it can also be known as a double boiler. The custard will then cook for a few minutes but has to stay thin enough to keep its soup like consistency. After it’s done cooking, the crème anglaise is topped with the dumplings and egg whites as if they are floating on top of the custard. Finally when the dessert is finished, it will be served either cold or at room temperature and guests will be able to enjoy the French treat.