Using my rudimentary and not at all dubious French translation skillz (honed in my undergrad years in Canada by listening to public service announcements at train stations) I knew I had a winner of a desert when flipping through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking desert section and discovering something called Il Flottante. Loosely translated (using my aforementioned skillz), I deduced that this meant "The Floater." Which obviously appetizingly means ISLAND. And you know what is an island? MONTE CRISTO. My heart swelled two sizes when I realized it also had nothing in it to murder my allergic to dairy guests!
Now, I will caution you, this dish is delish. But it is really two recipes in one, and you do need to leave yourself enough time to prepare the pralines, let them cool, and additionally to prepare your meringue, and to in turn let that cool. It's an all day type of recipe, but well worth it. The best way to describe it is as a French meringue flan. A few other notes: I doubled the original praline recipe to meet the requirements of the desert. I also did not use a souffle dish, because I don't have one, but the high sided casserole I used worked just fine. An electric mixer, either hand or stand, is beyond necessary. You will be beating eggs all day elsewise, and there are more fun things to beat, like, I dunno, your rugs if you are an extra in Aladdin. Also, I do recommend pouring out the caramel and then using it as a garnish; I didn't because I thought it would end poorly for me with my notorious lack of motor skills. I think it consequently became a bit soggy on the bottom. Finally, good luck not sneaking bites of praline; you're a stronger person that I am!
Recipe(s):
Now, I will caution you, this dish is delish. But it is really two recipes in one, and you do need to leave yourself enough time to prepare the pralines, let them cool, and additionally to prepare your meringue, and to in turn let that cool. It's an all day type of recipe, but well worth it. The best way to describe it is as a French meringue flan. A few other notes: I doubled the original praline recipe to meet the requirements of the desert. I also did not use a souffle dish, because I don't have one, but the high sided casserole I used worked just fine. An electric mixer, either hand or stand, is beyond necessary. You will be beating eggs all day elsewise, and there are more fun things to beat, like, I dunno, your rugs if you are an extra in Aladdin. Also, I do recommend pouring out the caramel and then using it as a garnish; I didn't because I thought it would end poorly for me with my notorious lack of motor skills. I think it consequently became a bit soggy on the bottom. Finally, good luck not sneaking bites of praline; you're a stronger person that I am!
Il Flottante
(Translation: "The Floater")
(Translation: "The Floater")
via Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
serves 6-8
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| Il Flottante, unreliably translated to mean "the floater." Perhaps more appetizingly described as an island of flavor that melts in your mouth. Kind of like the opiates the Count enjoys, but sans the hallucinogens (sorry to disappoint). |
