Iles flottantes with Crème Anglaise

"Iles flottantes", which you could literally translate from French as "floating islands", are such a delicious dessert; poached whipped sweet egg whites that resemble a fluffy marshmallow, served on top of a crème anglaise, which is a light liquid custard, with roasted almonds and caramel. Is it enough to make your taste buds drool?! Great, so let's get this recipe started.

For 4 to 6 servings - depending on the size of your îles flottantes, you will need:

For the custard:

• 350 milliliters of milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 3 egg yolks
• 75 grams of sugar

For the poached egg whites:

• 3 egg whites
• A pinch of salt
• 40 grams of sugar

For the delicious decoration:

• A handful of sliced almonds
• Some caramel sauce

Preparation time: 30 minutes (15 minutes for the custard and 15 minutes for the egg whites)
Cooking time: 30 minutes (20 minutes for the custard and 10 minutes to poach the egg whites)
Resting time for the custard: 2 to 3 hours

Start by preparing the custard, as it will have to rest in the fridge.

Slice the vanilla pod open along its length.

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the vanilla pod. Warm up the milk to let the vanilla infuse, but make sure to not boil it.

After 5 to 7 minutes, the milk should be infused and warm. Remove it from the stove, remove the vanilla pod, and set aside.

Add the egg yolks and the sugar to a bowl, and whisk until you obtain a smooth and silky mixture.

Add the milk to the egg yolk-sugar and mix it in well.

Place back on the stove on low heat. For about 7 to 10 minutes, don't stop mixing gently and make sure to not let it come to a boil.

Once the custard is smooth and warm, remove it from the stove and filter it into a bowl to rest first. Then, let it cool down before placing in a airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

About 15 to 20 minutes before serving the dessert, take the custard out of the fridge and set aside. It is also now time to prepare the rest of your dessert.

On medium heat, dry roast the sliced almonds in a pan. Keep an eye on them as they brown quickly and can burn easily. Once they are brown, take them out of the pan and set aside.

Start preparing the îles flottantes.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt with a hand-mixer until they are firm. Then add the sugar while continuously beating.

Once the egg whites are ready and firm, it is time to poach them.

Bring a pan of water to a slight boil and add a scoop of egg whites and let it poach for about 30 seconds. Then, turn it over and let it poach for the same amount of time.

Let the egg whites rest and drain for a minute or so on a paper towel.

Now that all the ingredients are ready, you can dress your plate. Pour some custard, place a poached egg white, sprinkle with some roasted almonds, and drizzle some caramel.

And here you are, ready to enjoy your delicious îles flottantes with crème anglaise, roasted almonds, and a drizzle of caramel!

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Shavige Payasa - Sweet Vermicelli

Payasa is an Indian dessert from the Karnataka region. I discovered it when I was in India, and what I immediately loved was the cardamom cream flavor. The vermicelli in the dessert was more an acquired taste. But I think at the end, it gives an original texture to the cream.

For about 4 portions, you will need:

• 15 grams of vermicelli
• Some butter (about 2 teaspoons, only to roast the vermicelli)
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 5 cardamom pods

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: At least 2 hours

Start by breaking your vermicelli in small pieces.

Remove the shells from the cardamom pods and crush them in a mortar or with a heavy pan.

Keep the cardamon powder on the side.

Place the butter into a saucepan and add the vermicelli pieces. Let them brown.

Once the vermicelli is golden brown, reduce the heat to medium-low, add the milk and stir for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Then add the crushed cardamom and the sugar, and stir for about 4 to 5 minutes.

 

Turn off the heat, transfer your dessert into a container and let it cool down.

Once it had cooled down, place the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy cold by itself, or with a few brownies!

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond

Pear, Cranberry, and Yoghurt Pie

Let's try and make something other than the traditional apple pie, and venture to a delicious and sweet pear, cranberry, and yoghurt pie you can make easily.

For a 26 cm diameter deep-dish pie, you will need:

• One 33 cm diameter shortcrust pastry
• 3 eggs
• 250 grams of sugar
• One and a half tablespoon of flour
• 300 grams of plain yoghurt
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 medium-sized ripe pears
• About 60 grams of fresh cranberries (previously cleaned)

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour 10 minutes (20 minutes for the shortcrust pastry by itself, and 45 to 50 minutes for the whole pie with filling)


Start by preheating your oven to 225 C (435 F).

Cover your deep-dish pie pan with parchment paper and lay your shortcut pastry on it.

Add another sheet of parchment paper over the shortcrust pastry and add weight on it. In my case I used some baking ceramic pie weights, but you can also used dried beans.

Once your oven is preheated, place the shortcrust pastry in it for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and let it cool.

Reduce your oven temperature to 175 C (350 F).

While your pastry is cooling down, prepare your pie filling.

In a bowl, combine the eggs and the sugar and whisk until you obtain a frothy mix as shown below.

Then add the flour and mix gently.

In a separate bowl, add the vanilla extract to the plain yoghurt, and mix.

Add the vanilla-yoghurt mixture to the egg-sugar-flour mixture and mix together.

Once the shortcrust pastry has cooled down, add the filling.

Peel and core the pears.

Slice the pears into thin slices.

Place the slices in the filling, all in the same direction. Be sure to not over-crowd the pear slices.

Distribute the cranberries on the top.

Place the pie in the oven for about 40 minutes.

After 40 minutes, increase your oven temperature to 200 C (390 F), and let the pie bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the color of the filling becomes golden. For the last baking part, keep your eyes on the pie.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down.

You can eat your pie either cold or luke warm.

Enjoy!

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped up by Charline Leblond
Photographs by Charline Leblond