Île Flottante

Île flottante is whipped egg whites poached into a soft cloud and set afloat on a pool of vanilla custard, finished with a thread of caramel. The name means "floating island," and it's a dessert built entirely around contrast in texture — airy meringue against smooth custard against hard, thin caramel.

What it actually is

Egg whites are whisked with sugar into a stiff meringue, then gently poached — in simmering milk or water, or steamed — until just set into a soft, spongy mass rather than baked crisp like a typical meringue. It's unmoulded onto a pool of thin vanilla custard made from the reserved egg yolks and milk, and finished with a fine drizzle of hard caramel that sets almost instantly on contact with the cool custard.

Poaching rather than baking the meringue is what keeps it soft and cloud-like; a baked meringue on the same dessert would be a different texture entirely, closer to a pavlova than an île flottante.

How it's served

• In a shallow bowl, the meringue "island" sitting in a pool of custard.
• Chilled custard, warm or room-temperature meringue, the deliberate temperature contrast.
• With a fine thread of caramel drizzled over just before serving, so it stays crisp rather than dissolving into the custard.

Writing it on a menu

• Flag egg and dairy; the meringue and custard carry both.
• Say that the caramel is added last, right before serving, since it softens quickly once it touches the custard.
• Note that the meringue is poached, not baked; guests expecting a crisp, oven-baked meringue should know this one is soft throughout.
• Mention that it's a light dessert, mostly egg and air, a good option to offer alongside richer, cream-heavy desserts on the same menu.