Oeufs à la Neige (Snow Eggs with Caramel and Crème Anglaise)

This is one of my favorite desserts. It's just poached meringue in custard and caramel. It's simple, bistro food. And each component can be made ahead. Plus it's economical and contains ingredients you would normally have on hand. The egg whites are used to make the meringue and the yolks are used for the custard. There are only three parts to this dessert:

• Meringue
• Crème Anglaise
• Caramel

What’s the Difference Between Snow Eggs and Floating Islands?

There is some debate about the difference between "Snow Eggs" (Oeufs à la Neige) and "Floating Islands" (Île Flottante). I haven't been able to get a definitive answer. Here are the possibilities:

• Snow eggs are typically poached in milk while floating islands are baked in a bain-marie.
• Snow eggs don’t traditionally include caramel, whereas floating islands often do.
• Floating islands may include hazelnuts in the meringue and are sometimes baked in molds.
• The names themselves refer to their presentation: snow eggs are shaped like eggs, while floating islands "float" on a pool of Crème Anglaise.

If you know the answer to this naming mystery, let me know.

Recipe: Oeufs à la Neige (Snow Eggs with Caramel and Crème Anglaise)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Crème Anglaise

2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup sugar

French Meringue

4 egg whites

4 tablespoons sugar

Caramel

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Crème Anglaise: Heat milk and vanilla in a saucepan until just boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the pan and heat gently, stirring until thickened. Avoid letting it boil. Cool and set aside.
   
   
2. Make the Meringue: Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar and whisk until glossy and firm.
   
   
3. Poach the Meringue: Simmer water in a wide pan. Drop large spoonfuls of meringue into the water and poach for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a clean kitchen towel.
   
   
4. Prepare the Caramel: Heat sugar and water in a saucepan until it turns a golden amber colour. Add 1/4 cup of water to stop the cooking process. Keep warm.
   
   
5. Assemble the Dessert: Pour Crème Anglaise into serving bowls, gently place poached meringue on top, and drizzle with caramel. Serve immediately or chill until ready to enjoy.

You can find the recipe for Oeufs à la Neige (Snow Eggs with Caramel and Crème Anglaise) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Tasting Notes
It's my favorite dessert. Sweet. Comforting. Light.

Links
• Video (in French): how to poach meringue

More Oeufs à la Neige
• Whisk: Floating Islands
• La Tartine Gourmande: Pisatachio Floating Island for Benoit
• La Tartine Gourmande: Vanilla, Cardamom Snow Eggs
• Joe Pastry: Floating Islands Recipe

Next Time
Crème bavarois (Bavarian cream) in Charlotte aux Poires, Coulis de Framboise (Pear Carlotte with Raspberry Coulis) page 308

::Whisk::

I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

More to Explore:

• Index of Recipes
• Visual Recipe Index