Ile Flottante With Pink Praline (Easy Recipe)

If you are looking for an elegant and sophisticated dessert on Valentine's Day or just because this Ile flottante recipe is a good way to go. It is an easy and delicious gluten-free egg dessert made in less than an hour. Plus, there is a make-ahead option!

Ile flottante (plural îles flottantes), or a floating island dessert, cannot beat any other festive dessert. This light and airy foaming meringue resembling meringue islands on a pool of crème Anglaise is perfect to cap off a heavy, calorie-laden celebratory dinner.

This delightful treat takes a classic French dessert and adds a modern twist. Made with the signature Pink Praline, it brings a beautiful pop of color and a delicious new 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 (creme Anglaise) and topped with praline or spun sugar. It translates as a floating island in English.

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

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

Why you should try this recipe

• The île flottante recipe (ile flottante recette) is easy to make and requires a few simple ingredients.

• You can always swap pink praline for other candied nuts or prepare it yourself a few days ahead.

• Finally, this dessert is the cutest romantic treat on Valentine's Day, perfect to accompany a "heavy" holiday dinner.

Ingredients

Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Find the recipe card below for exact amounts and detailed instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.

• Milk: Use whole milk to make the recipe. Opt for full-fat milk to make the best creme 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 crushed pink praline on Amazon. Replace it with pistachios or toasted almonds if desired.

Recipe variations

If you are eager to try out ile flottant recipe with baked meringue (recipe is below) instead of poached meringue, here are some fun ways to make the recipe your own.

Omit the fancy-sounding Pink Praline and top it with candied nuts or roasted almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.

Choose crushed amaretti cookies, chopped praline, or candied citrus. Or drizzle caramel over your meringue for more indulgence.

No time for making creme Anglaise? No worries. A delicious alternative is melting vanilla ice cream and then letting the meringue float on top. It is not the same but a tasty and easy way to enjoy ile flottant.

How to make Ile flottante

Making ile flottant includes a few simple steps:

• Preparing creme Anglaise
• Making the meringue
• Assembling the dessert

Make creme Anglaise

Heat milk, heavy cream, scraped vanilla seeds, and the emptied vanilla bean in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.

In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar with a hand whisk (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.

It takes a few minutes when the custard starts thickening, coats the back of a spoon, and reaches a temperature of 180°F (82°C): use a candy thermometer to check.

Pro tip: Read about tips and tricks on how to make perfect creme Anglaise.

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 down on the counter or refrigerator until 73°F (23°C).

Make the meringue

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.

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 speeds for a more extended period is more stable than made at high speed.

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

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

Continue with the rest of the whites (you will get six meringue mounds). Bake for about 5 minutes and let cool afterward.

Serve ile flottante

Pour creme Anglaise on the bottom of the martini glasses or glass bowls and place the meringue on each serving. Sprinkle with chopped pink praline and serve (photo 6).

Expert Tips

1. Check the readiness of creme Anglaise with a cooking thermometer. If you do not have it, look for a "coating" on the back of a spoon with custard. Read about when Creme 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 creme Anglaise in advance and keep it covered with plastic wrap in contact in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then serve Ile flottante dessert in a minute. 

Storing and freezing

For the best results, make the meringues no more than 1 to 2 hours before serving. If longer, it tends to form beads of liquid on the surface. However, you can prepare creme Anglaise 2 days in advance and refrigerate it.

Can you freeze ile flottant? No, you cannot freeze any part of this dessert.

Recipe FAQ

Love holiday desserts? Try these next!

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

Print

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. All posted pictures are mine.

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.