This Microwave Floating Island Recipe From Norbert Will Change Your Life
Before starting, a vocabulary point to draw the next time you are with your friends. We do not guarantee that it will excite them but you never know. What is called a floating island in cookbooks, on our pages or in restaurants is not a floating island. And yes, they are technically snow eggs.
Snow eggs are egg whites that are whipped before poaching them in a saucepan of simmering water or milk. They are then placed on a custard and the dessert is finished with slivered almonds, or even a drizzle of caramel.
This technique that we all use to beat our egg whites is ultimately useless
In the case of the floating island, the egg whites are cooked in a mold that is placed in a bain-marie before baking them in the oven. They are then unmolded on a custard. Previously, the floating island was similar to a dessert close to the British trifle but it is no longer a topical dessert.
Preparing a custard is easy. Whisking egg whites is easy. Poaching them is child’s play but we admit that it is a bit tedious. The trick of Norbert Tarayre which consists of cooking them in the microwave oven is very appealing to us. We have adapted our own egg recipe for snow (or floating island if you prefer) with its trick
Ingredients for 4 to 6 people
For the custard
- 40 cl of full liquid cream
- 30 cl whole milk
- 130g sugar
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 vanilla pod
For the egg whites
- 135g egg whites
- 60g of sugar
Prepare the custard
Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan.
Split the vanilla pod, remove the seeds and add them to the pan with the pod.
Heat over medium heat, remove from heat and steep for 15 minutes. Heat again until the first simmering.
Whisk the yolks with the sugar, pour in half of the simmering liquid little by little, while whisking.
Pour into the saucepan and cook until the cream coats the spoon well.
Pour into a bowl, cover the surface with cling film then, when the mixture is no longer too hot, set aside in the fridge.
Prepare the whites
Pour the egg whites into a bowl, beat gently using an electric mixer. When the whites start to foam, add the sugar in 3 or 4 times. When the whites form a bird’s beak on the whisk, it’s ready.
Divide the egg whites into small microwave-safe bowls or ramekins. Cook for 1 minute at maximum power.
Divide the custard into bowls or soup plates then add the cooked whites.
See: How to make your custard successful?
