Floating Island with Pink Praline (Île Flottante aux Pralines Roses)

Quick Summary: This ile flottante with pink praline recipe makes 6 servings of light, airy poached-and-baked meringues floating on vanilla crème anglaise, topped with crunchy pink praline. It is gluten-free, comes together in under an hour, and has a make-ahead option. Bake the meringues at 300°F (150°C) for about 5 minutes.

Ile flottante aux pralines roses (plural îles flottantes), or a floating island dessert, is hard to beat among festive desserts. This light, airy foaming meringue, resembling meringue islands on a pool of crème anglaise, is perfect to cap off a heavy, calorie-laden celebratory dinner.

This floating island with pink praline takes the classic French dessert and adds a modern twist. Made with signature pink praline from Lyon, it brings a pop of color and a fresh taste to this elegant dessert.

What is ile flottante?

Ile flottante, or oeufs à la neige, meaning snow eggs, are French meringues floating on a vanilla custard sauce (crème anglaise) and topped with praline or spun sugar. In English, it translates as a floating island.

This pink praline version swaps the usual caramelized almonds for Lyon's rose-colored pralines, giving the dessert its signature color and crunch.

Originally, at the end of the 19th century, île flottante was made from slices of sponge cake, soaked with liquor, separated with apricot jam, and served with custard.

Today, it is made with egg whites poached in warm milk, cooked over a water bath or baked in the oven, then placed on the custard.

Why you'll love this recipe

• Easy to make. The île flottante recipe (île flottante recette) uses a few simple ingredients and comes together in under an hour.

• Flexible topping. You can swap pink praline for other candied nuts or make the pralines yourself a few days ahead.

• Perfect for Valentine's Day. This dessert is a cute romantic treat, ideal to accompany a "heavy" holiday dinner.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Milk: Use whole milk. Use full-fat milk for the best crème anglaise.

• Heavy cream: The recipe calls for heavy cream with at least 30% fat content.

• Vanilla bean: Use the most flavorful Madagascar vanilla beans.

• Egg yolks and egg whites: Separate them using an egg separator while the eggs are chilled. Then bring both to room temperature.

• Caster sugar is superfine sugar that dissolves more efficiently while making the meringue. You can process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make it superfine.

• Lemon zest: Use unwaxed organic lemon to make the zest.

• Pink praline: Make pink praline yourself or purchase it on Amazon. Replace it with pistachios or toasted almonds if desired.

Equipment

• heavy-bottomed saucepan
• hand whisk
• candy thermometer
• electric or stand mixer
• rubber spatula
• baking tray
• parchment paper
• martini glasses or glass bowls

How to make Ile flottante

Step 1. To make crème anglaise, heat milk, heavy cream, scraped vanilla seeds, and the emptied vanilla bean in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Step 2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar (photo 1). Add the hot milk and cream mixture to the egg yolks and sugar, stirring constantly, and pour back into the saucepan. Cook over low heat, constantly stirring with the whisk.

Step 3. It takes a few minutes; the custard starts thickening, coats the back of a spoon, and reaches 180°F (82°C). Use a candy thermometer to check.

Pro tip: Read about tips and tricks on how to make perfect crème anglaise.

Step 4. Take the saucepan from the heat and pour the vanilla sauce into a clean bowl. Remove the empty vanilla bean from the custard (photo 2) and cover it with plastic film in contact. Let it cool on the counter or in the refrigerator until 73°F (23°C).

Make the meringue

Step 5. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Beat egg whites with an electric or stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at low speed until frothy.

Step 6. Gradually add sugar, increase the speed, and whisk the meringue at medium speed until sugar dissolves and stiff peaks form. It may take up to 10 minutes.

Pro tip: Meringue whipped at medium speed for a longer period is more stable than meringue whipped at high speed.

Step 7. Add crushed pink praline with lemon zest to the whipped egg whites (photo 3) and gently mix with a rubber spatula (photo 4).

Step 8. Place one large tablespoon of the meringue on a baking tray covered with parchment paper (photo 5).

Step 9. Continue with the remaining whites (you will get six meringue mounds). Bake for about 5 minutes, then let cool.

Step 10. Pour crème anglaise into the bottom of the martini glasses or glass bowls, then top with the meringue. Sprinkle with chopped pink praline and serve (photo 6).

Expert tips

1. Check the readiness of crème anglaise with a cooking thermometer. If you don't have one, look for a "coating" on the back of a spoon with custard. Read about when crème anglaise is done.
2. Make pink praline yourself or purchase pink crushed pralines on Amazon.
3. Make-ahead option: make the meringue and refrigerate it for up to 3 hours. Prepare crème anglaise in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact with the fridge for up to 2 days. Then serve the ile flottante dessert in a minute. 

Recipe variations

This ile flottante with pink praline uses baked meringue (recipe below) instead of the classic poached meringue, and it is easy to adapt. Here are a few ways to make it your own.

Swap the pink praline for other candied nuts, such as roasted almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Each one gives the meringue a different crunch and color.

Add crushed amaretti cookies, chopped praline, or candied citrus for extra texture. For a richer finish, drizzle salted butter caramel over the meringue or crown it with a nest of spun sugar.

Short on time? Skip the crème anglaise and melt a little vanilla ice cream instead, then let the meringue float on top. It is not quite the same, but it is a quick and easy way to enjoy ile flottante.

Storing & freezing

Make the meringues no more than 1 to 2 hours before serving. If they sit longer, they tend to form beads of liquid on the surface. You can, however, prepare the crème anglaise up to 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap in contact.

Can you freeze ile flottante? No, you cannot freeze any part of this dessert. The meringues and the crème anglaise do not hold their texture once frozen, so it is best served fresh.

Recipe FAQ

What is île flottante in English?
Île flottante means floating island in English. It is also called oeufs à la neige, or snow eggs.

What is pink praline in this recipe?
Pink praline (pralines roses) consist of almonds coated in crunchy rose-colored sugar, a specialty of Lyon, France. They give this floating island its signature color and crunch. Make them yourself or buy crushed pink praline online.

Can you make île flottante in advance?
You can make crème anglaise two days in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact in the fridge. Make the meringues on the same day and refrigerate for up to 1 to 2 hours. Then serve within a few minutes.

Can you freeze île flottante?
No, you cannot freeze any part of this dessert. The meringues and the crème anglaise do not hold up well after freezing.

What is the difference between île flottante and oeufs à la neige?
The two names are used interchangeably today. Traditionally, oeufs à la neige are small poached meringue quenelles, while île flottante was a single large meringue served as one floating island on custard.

Love holiday desserts? Try these next!

• Heart-Shaped Puzzle Cookies
• Rosewater Meringue Roulade
• Raspberry Oreo Cheesecake
• Browse all Valentine's Day Recipes

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Recipe card

The recipe was adapted from http://www.leparisien.fr/. It was originally published on January 07, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos.

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.