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Ile Flottante With Pink Praline

Meringue on top of cream Anglaise topped with chopped pink praline in a glass.
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5 from 14 reviews

This easy ile flottante with pink praline is a French floating island dessert made of light, baked meringue on vanilla crème anglaise, finished with crunchy pink praline from Lyon. It is gluten-free, comes together in under an hour, and has a make-ahead option.

Ingredients

Scale

For crème anglaise:

  • 11.5 fl oz (340 ml) whole milk
  • 3.5 fl oz (105 ml) heavy cream, 30% fat
  • 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 4 large egg yolks (70 g) egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 5 tablespoons (70 g) granulated sugar

For the meringue:

  • 4 large egg whites (150 g) egg whites, at room temperature
  • 6 1/2 tablespoons (90 g) caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1.2 oz. (35 g) Pink Praline

For the decoration:

  • 0.5 oz. (15 g) chopped pink praline

* If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.

Instructions

  1. To make crème anglaise, heat milk, heavy cream, scraped vanilla seeds, and the emptied vanilla bean in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the hot milk-and-cream mixture, stirring constantly, and pour it 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.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the vanilla sauce into a clean bowl. Remove the empty vanilla bean from the custard and cover it with plastic film in contact. Let it cool on the counter or in the refrigerator until it reaches 73°F (23°C).
  4. To make the meringue, preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Beat egg whites with an electric mixer or a 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. Add crushed pink praline with lemon zest to the whipped egg whites and gently mix with a rubber spatula.
  5. Place one large tablespoon of the meringue on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Continue with the rest of the whites (you will get 6 meringue mounds). Bake for about 5 minutes, then let cool.
  6. To serve, pour crème anglaise into the bottom of the martini glasses or glass bowls, then top with meringue. Sprinkle with chopped pink praline and serve.

Notes

  1. Check the readiness of crème anglaise with a cooking thermometer. If you do not have it, look for a "coating" on the back of a spoon with custard. 
  2. Make pink praline yourself or purchase it 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 in the fridge for up to 2 days. Then serve Ile flottante dessert in a minute. 

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.bakinglikeachef.com/ile-flottante-pink-praline-anne-sophie-pic/