This is one of my signature desserts, a fluffy baked meringue floats in caramel and dulce de leche. It's a simple recipe but looks sophisticated and is a showstopper at any party or celebration!
Light, sweet showstopper
To say this floating island recipe took me back to my first years of active baking is the week's understatement.
I can’t begin to count the times I’ve made this, so much so, that people simply asked me to make an island – why don’t you make an island for this weekend? – and who can blame them, considering this baked meringue dessert ‘floats’ in a mix of caramel and dulce de leche.
A lot of wandering spoons will find themselves around the edges of the serving platter, stripping the floating island of its sauce. I know I do it.
It's an iconic old-fashioned dessert that, like some vintage classic recipes, faded from popularity in the past couple of decades. Not here in this house. Let that be clear. We love it!
About baked meringue
This dessert is essentially a baked meringue. It is as simple to make as any meringue, and it is easy if you have a sound stand mixer or hand-held electric beater.
The proportions are not your usual for Italian meringue or Swiss (my favorite, the one I use for things like the dulce de leche mille-feuille) because the amount of sugar per white is much smaller.
It holds firm peaks, but there's a shiny quality missing, not glossy like an expensive magazine cover but more like door paint, my doors at least; yet the floating island will be ethereal, almost a whisper of a bite dissolving before you know.
If it sounds like it will not hold, I share that feeling. But trust me that it baked beautifully. The proof is in the photos.
How to make the caramel
- Melting the sugar: for years, I melted the sugar directly in the pan I was using, just like I was taught. But it's hard to manipulate a pan over a flame, and it takes skill not to get burned.
Now, I make the caramel in a skillet first and then add it to the pan. It's an extra step that ends up being a shortcut because it makes your life easier and the chances of burning almost non-existent. - When is the caramel done? When all of the sugar is dissolved, the caramel is ready. By the time this happens, it will be a deep amber color (image 4). Don't be tempted to cook it more, as it can burn instantly, and you will have to start again.
Vintage Kitchen Tip
For best results, use a non-stick skillet and silicone spoon (or spatula). Alternatively, you can use a wooden spoon, as we used to before silicone was available. But the caramel will stick to it and be more laborious to wash.
I caramelize a large tube pan, beat the meringue to firm peaks, and bake it in a water bath for the specified time, leaving it in the turned-off oven to cool down, as I do with my cheesecakes.
Shrinking dessert
The floating island shrinks when it starts to cool down. That is normal.
It then goes into the fridge until the next day, when it shrinks even more (image below), like a souffle. But the texture after that is smooth and airy, just perfect; the knife cuts effortlessly into it, it doesn't move, and the island just stays tall.
Make ahead: just like a cheesecake or a flan, you can make this dessert one or two days before serving it, or even three.
Serving this dessert
The traditional way is Crème anglaise (custard cream) or zabaglione because of the leftover egg yolks. But whipped cream with fresh berries or even a light lemon curd pairs well.
I go the Argentinian route and use my homemade dulce de leche recipe on top of the caramel that comes with it. So good!
If you are not serving it with dulce de leche, you might want to add some vanilla extract to the meringue. But since I serve it in a pool of dulce de leche and caramel, we have enough vanilla flavor for now.
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Floating Island (baked meringue dessert)
Ingredients
To caramelize the pan:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
To make the baked meringue:
- 9 egg whites, at room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar
- pinch salt
To serve:
- 1 cup dulce de leche
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250ºF (115ºC).
To caramelize the pan:
- Have ready a 10-inch tube pan that is round with a central tube. Don't use a patterned bundt cake pan.
- Trick: preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Put the flan or cake pan inside while you make the caramel. This will help you coat it more easily with the caramel because of the warm surface, as it will glide better. But this step is optional. Be sure to use kitchen mittens or towels when handling the pan!
- Pour 1 ½ cups sugar into a non-stick skillet or saucepan and heat at medium temperature on the stovetop. Don't touch it at first.
- It will remain the same for a few minutes but turn darker in a second.
- Stir it constantly with a spoon (I use a silicone one since the skillet is non-stick). It will be grainy, and at some point, you will feel it will never melt completely. Have patience.
- Adjust the temperature so that it melts but does not burn. If necessary, lift the skillet several times or lower the heat.
- Dissolve the little pieces with the back of the spoon while you stir it.
- It's ready when no sugar bits remain. It will be a deep amber color.
- Pour into the prepared pan, grabbing it with thick kitchen towels or oven mitts. Remember that the pan is hot and the caramel even hotter.
- Swirl so that it coats the bottom and sides, and aid yourself with the back of a spoon to coat the central tube. Reserve.
To make the meringue:
- Put 9 egg whites at room temperature in the clean and dry bowl of an electric mixer. Add pinch salt and start whipping at medium speed for about 1 minute.
- Gradually add ¾ cup sugar, and beat on high until glossy, firm peaks form. The meringue should not droop. This will take a few minutes, maybe 3 or 4.
- With a spatula, transfer the mix to the caramel-lined pan. The caramel will start to crack when you add the meringue; it’s okay. Push gently with the spoon if you see empty spaces with no mixture. Spread as evenly as you can.
- Put the mixture in a baking pan with at least 1-inch sides. Place the pan in the oven, and then slowly add very hot tap water to it.
- Bake for 40 minutes and check. It should have risen above the rim of the pan and be quite firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave inside with the door closed.
- After an hour, transfer to a wire rack. Let it cool for half an hour more, cover it with plastic wrap, and chill it for 8 hours or overnight.
- To unmold, uncover the pan and put it directly over a low flame, moving it around so the bottom warms a bit and the caramel barely starts to melt.
- Using a large platter, flip it carefully. Warm the caramel again by putting the pan on the flame. Add some of it to the top of the floating island; be careful not to add too much.
- Heat 1 cup dulce de leche with 4 tablespoons of water. You want a honey-like consistency.
- Add some to the top of the dessert and mix the rest with the remaining caramel. Put in a jar to serve.
Karen Conlee says
I had this in Paris and have dreamed about it since! Can this be made with pasteurized egg white (from a carton)? Or does it need to be real egg whites?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Karen! I always use fresh eggs and have no idea if it can be made with egg whites from a carton (I have never used them).