After last weeks World Peace Cow Patties, I was hoping for an easier, more successful go this time around. Our host this week, Shari of Whisk: A Food Blog, chose Floating Islands (pg 401-402). While these weren't super easy, they at least didn't end up looking like cow dung.
I've made custards and meringues before so I wasn't that nervous about making this recipe. The only thing I had not done prior to this was poaching the meringues in milk. It seemed a little odd but not difficult. To make this easier for one to eat, I halved the creme anglaise and did a 1/3 of the meringues.
The first thing I did was make the creme anglaise so it could chill in the fridge for awhile before the meringues were made. For most of the cooking time, there was no problem with the creme anglaise. The last two minutes however were another story. It completely separated and then curdled. Ugh...what??!!! When I strained it, most of the creme looked liked scrambled eggs and I had about 1/3 cup of liquid left. Not really sure what to do, I put the liquid in the fridge after adding the vanilla. I crossed my fingers that it would taste okay.
With the creme anglaise chilling, I got started on the meringues. There really wasn't a problem with them. My milk never made it to a simmer but I didn't want to scorch it by turning the heat up so I went ahead with the poaching. It seemed to work out alright because they appeared to be done after the required poaching time.
After the meringues had their chill time, I assembled the floating islands. Well...I poured the thin liquid in a bowl and set a few of the meringues on top. They float! Hooray!!! I didn't attempt to make the caramel so I tried to dust the tops with cinnamon. Tried being the operative word there. It ended up being a shower of shorts. A kind of clumpy shower. Sigh...oh well. After a few pictures, I mixed the extra cinnamon in and had at it. Not bad. The creme anglaise was very tasty especially with the cinnamon. The meringues were good. Nothing special but an interesting idea.
Would I make this again? Possibly. I want to try the creme anglaise again to see what I did wrong the first time. It will be a while though.
Thanks to Shari for a creative recipe! Next week I get a reprieve of sorts. Stephanie of Confessions of a City Eater chose Devil's Food White Out Cake. I made this a long time ago (May '08 to be exact) for my youngest sister's birthday but for some reason never posted about it! Woot! A post done in advance!
To get this weeks recipe, see Shari's blog. For more floating islands, checkout the TWD blogroll.
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Yeah, I curdled my eggs twice before I got it right. I didn't think it would be that difficult. It was surprisingly good though.
The creme anglaise was my favorite part of the recipe. The cinnamon addition sounds yummy.
It seems like lots of people had their eggs curdle.... I still have to make mine, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed...
Oooh, I love creme anglaise! Especially with a kick of cinnamon. But I must be the only person in the world who doesn't really like meringue. I've had it every which way -- no, still don't like it. Creme anglaise, though, is always a winner.
Oooh I can't wait to see your cake next week! Did you like it? I'm so excited about it!
Ah Heather, you have a post savings account and now you can do that thing you wanted to do if you had free time. Woo Hoo. Great Islands BTW.
AmyRuth
I like your idea of adding cinnamon! Thanks for making these this week with me.
Third time was a charm for me, too. Good thing my Pup likes eggs. I also tried some cinnamon sugar on some left over islands, but too gritty. They were interesting, tho.
Your dessert turned out lovely in spite of everything. If you make the creme anglaise again, only take the temperature to 170. 180 is too high.
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