Julia Child's Floating Island

A classic French dessert, floating islands feature a fluffy meringue in a pool of crème anglaise and drizzled with caramel sauce.

Ingredients:

for creme anglaise

6 large egg yolks

⅔ cup sugar

1½ cups very hot milk

pinch salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 tbsp rum or another liqueur (optional)

for meringue

1 tbsp softened butter

¼ cup sifted powdered sugar

1⅔ cups egg whites (about 12)

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ tsp cream of tartar

large pinch salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

for caramel sauce

1 cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup water

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

1 tbsp butter

fresh berries for garnish

Instructions:

for creme anglaise

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 slowly as you do not want the sauce to foam.

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 -- a 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!

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.

Add the vanilla, and the optional rum or liqueur. Serve warm, tepid, or cold. The sauce may be refrigerated in a covered container for several days.

for meringue

Butter a straight-sided 4-quart baking dish 3" deep and dust the inside with powdered sugar, knocking out the excess. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. (Or, make individual meringues of any size and shape that you like.)

In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, start beating the egg whites at moderate speed until they foam throughout, beat in the salt and cream of tartar, and gradually increase the speed to fast until soft peaks are formed.

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.

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. The meringue is done when a skewer or straw plunged through it comes out clean. Set the casserole on a rack. The meringue will sink down to about its original height as it cools.

Note: covered airtight, it will keep several days in the refrigerator or several weeks in the freezer.

for caramel sauce

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.

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.