Floating Island Oeufs A La Neige Food

FLOATING ISLAND (OEUFS A LA NEIGE)

Steps:

• Separate two of the eggs. In top of double boiler, combine 1 whole egg and 2 yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and the salt, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the milk and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon. When the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat. (Do not boil. If custard should start to curdle, remove from heat and beat vigorously until smooth.) Pour the custard through a strainer into a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Cool and refrigerate.
• In a heat-proof bowl, lightly whisk the 2 egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, just enough to dissolve the sugar. Place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water and stir constantly until the temperature of the whites reaches 145 degrees F (63 C) or hotter. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, and use an electric mixer to beat the warm egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.
• Pour the chilled custard into a serving dish. Drop the meringue by heaping tablespoons onto the custard to make islands. Chill before serving.

OEUFS A LA NEIGE

Steps:

• For the meringue: Heat 1-inch water in a 4-quart saucepan, covered, over high heat until it simmers, about 8 minutes. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer.
• Combine the sugar and whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and set over the simmering water. Whisk continually until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture lightens in color, doubles in volume, and reaches 140 degrees F, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Place the bowl on the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whisk on high until stiff peaks form and the meringue has cooled slightly, approximately 7 minutes. Set aside.
• To form and cook the oeufs: Place the milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and vanilla bean into a 2-quart saucier, cover, and set over high heat. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, approximately 5 minutes. Uncover, decrease the heat to low, and maintain a temperature of 180 to 190 degrees F.
• Use a 1-1/2 ounce disher to scoop the meringue, 4 at a time, into the milk, and poach for 3 minutes. Gently flip with a slotted spoon and cook until firm to the touch, another 3 minutes. Remove to a tea towel-lined half sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining meringue mixture, maintaining the temperature of the milk to make sure it does not boil. Hold the meringues at room temperature until ready to serve, or store in an airtight container over night. (Can be made a day ahead and stored, and kept covered in the refrigerator.) Decrease the heat to low and keep the milk warm in the pan.
• To finish the neige: Whisk together the egg yolks, kosher salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a medium mixing bowl until well combined and slightly lightened in color, approximately 2 minutes. Slowly add half of the milk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the entire mixture to the saucepan over low heat, and stir frequently with a spatula or wooden spoon until the sauce has thickened slightly and coats the back of the spatula or spoon, 8 to 9 minutes. You should be able to draw a line on the back of the utensil with your finger.
• Strain the sauce through the fine mesh strainer into a bowl set over an ice water bath and stir until chilled. (Can be made a day ahead and stored, covered in the refrigerator.)
• To serve: Spoon a small amount of sauce into the center of a shallow bowl and top with 2 oeufs. Sprinkle on pistachios, if desired.

ŒUFS à LA NEIGE (SNOW EGGS)

Steps:

• To make the crème anglaise, combine the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan. Split the ½ vanilla bean lengthwise then scrape out the seeds and put them, and the pod, into the milk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. (Use six if you want a standard custard sauce, eight if you prefer it extra-rich.)
• Make an ice bath by nesting a medium size metal bowl in a large bowl filled with ice and a little cold water. Set a mesh strainer over the top.
• Heat the milk until steaming. Whisk some of the warmed milk mixture into the egg yolks, then scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom, sides, and corners of the pan, until the custard is thick enough to coat the spatula. Don't let the mixture boil.
• Immediately strain the custard through the mesh strainer into the chilled bowl. Pluck out the vanilla pod, wipe off any bits of egg on it, and return it to the warm custard. Stir the crème anglaise to help cool it down. Once cool, refrigerate.
• To make the meringues, line a baking sheet lined with a clean tea towel or paper towels. In a large, wide saucepan or casserole, fill it about halfway with water and heat it until it comes to a lively simmer.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment at medium speed, or by hand with a whisk, whip the egg whites with the salt until they are foamy. Increase the speed of the mixer (or your whipping, with the whisk) until the egg whites begin to start holding their shape. Whip in the 1/3 cup sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until the whites hold their shape when you lift the whip. Do not overwhip or the meringues will be dry.
• Using two large soup spoons, scoop up a generous amount of the meringue onto one spoon - it should be heaped up so high that it threatens to fall off - then take the second spoon to scrape it off, dropping the oval of meringue into the simmering water. (You might be tempted to spend a few moments shaping the meringue into a nicer oval with the second spoon before scraping it off, but in the finished dessert, it won't really matter much all that much. Remember, this is a home-style dessert.) Don't crowd too many into the pot; they should be allowed to float freely. Doing six at a time is usually a good number. Plan on getting sixteen meringues from the egg whites, total. But don't worry if you don't; two makes a good portion for some people, others want three.
• Poach the meringues for 3 to 4 minutes, then flip each one with a slotted spoon, and poach for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the meringues with a slotted spoon and put them on the lined baking sheet. Poach the remaining meringues.
• When all the meringues have been poached, pour the crème anglaise into a large, wide, chilled bowl. Nest the meringues close together on the top, floating them in the crème anglaise.
• To make the caramel, heat the sugar and water in a skillet, swirling it as little as possible, if necessary, so it cooks evenly, until it turns a medium amber color. Turn off the heat and use a spoon to drizzle the caramel over the meringues.

ILES FLOTTANTES (OEUFS A LA NEIGE)

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a wide saucepan and whisk in the vanilla bean paste. Heat this on medium-low.
• Whip the egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment or using electric beaters on high speed until the whites are frothy, and then slowly pour in 2/3 cup (140 g) of the sugar while whipping, and continuing to whip until the whites hold a stiff peak when the beaters are lifted. Fold in the cornstarch.
• Make sure that the milk is hot, but not showing signs of bubbling at all. Use two large spoons to shape and drop ovals of meringue into the hot milk, leaving space between the meringues. Poach the meringues, uncovered, for 5 minutes in total, and gently flipping them over halfway through cooking. Use a slotted spoon to lift the meringues out to a dish to cool. Continue in batches until all of the meringue has been used, getting 16 meringue portions (2 per person). Chill these until ready to serve.
• Strain the milk into a fresh medium saucepan (and top up the milk to equal 2 cups/500 mL again) and bring to just below a simmer on medium heat. Whisk the reserved 6 egg yolks in a bowl with the remaining 1/3 cup (70 g) of sugar. Slowly pour the hot milk into the yolks while whisking, until all has been added. Return this to the pot and stir with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Strain the custard into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap so that it is directly over the surface of the custard. Cool this to room temperature, then chill completely before serving.
• To serve, ladle spoonfuls of crème anglaise into the bottom of a flat dish and top with 2 meringues and then prepare the caramelized sugar.
• For the caramelized sugar, add a splash of water and the lemon juice to a small saucepan and then add the sugar. Bring this up to a full boil over high heat without stirring, but occasionally brushing down the sides of the pan with water, cooking until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, let cool a moment, and then use a spoon to drizzle the caramelized sugar over the meringues and custard (the chilled sauce & meringue will immediately cool & set the sugar). Serve immediately.

FLOATING ISLAND (OEUFS A LA NEIGE)

Steps:

• Separate two of the eggs. In top of double boiler, combine 1 whole egg and 2 yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and the salt, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the milk and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon. When the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat. (Do not boil. If custard should start to curdle, remove from heat and beat vigorously until smooth.) Pour the custard through a strainer into a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Cool and refrigerate.
• In a heat-proof bowl, lightly whisk the 2 egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, just enough to dissolve the sugar. Place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water and stir constantly until the temperature of the whites reaches 145 degrees F (63 C) or hotter. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, and use an electric mixer to beat the warm egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.
• Pour the chilled custard into a serving dish. Drop the meringue by heaping tablespoons onto the custard to make islands. Chill before serving.

FLOATING ISLAND (OEUFS A LA NEIGE)

Steps:

• Separate two of the eggs. In top of double boiler, combine 1 whole egg and 2 yolks with 1/4 cup sugar and the salt, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the milk and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon. When the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove it from the heat. (Do not boil. If custard should start to curdle, remove from heat and beat vigorously until smooth.) Pour the custard through a strainer into a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Cool and refrigerate.
• In a heat-proof bowl, lightly whisk the 2 egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, just enough to dissolve the sugar. Place the bowl on top of a pot of simmering water and stir constantly until the temperature of the whites reaches 145 degrees F (63 C) or hotter. Immediately remove the bowl from the heat, and use an electric mixer to beat the warm egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.
• Pour the chilled custard into a serving dish. Drop the meringue by heaping tablespoons onto the custard to make islands. Chill before serving.

OEUFS A LA NEIGE AU CHOCOLAT (FLOATING ISLAND WITH CHOCOLATE)

Steps:

• Separate the eggs. Combine the yolks with 2/3 cup sugar. Beat until the yolks are very thick.
• Heat the milk to just below boiling. Add vanilla. Whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, stirring continuously. Place the mixture in the top of a double boiler, over but not in boiling water, and continue whisking until the mixture reaches approximately 180 degrees.
• Place in the refrigerator to cool.
• Beat the egg whites with about 1/4 cup sugar until very stiff.
• Fill two pans with water and place over high heat. Bring to a high simmer but not a boil. Lower the heat and, with a soup spoon, make little snowballs (about 15 or 16) from the egg whites. Poach each snowball in water - with two pans they can be done in two batches. The water must never boil. The egg-white balls should poach approximately 3 minutes on each side. Turn them with a fork.
• Drain the egg-white snowballs on a cake rack set over a bowl so any water will drain into the bowl.
• Place the snowballs on top of the cold custard. At the last minute melt the chocolate in a double boiler, over but not in boiling water, adding a little water, 2 to 3 tablespoons, to thin the chocolate. If there is a delay and the chocolate mixture thickens, reheat it, adding more water.
• When ready to serve, pour the chocolate mixture into a warm pitcher and pass to pour over the poached meringues and custard.