Eggs in snow

‘Eggs in snow’ is a delicate and enjoyable French dessert. The dish comprises one or more light, oval-shaped meringues cooked in milk (or even water) and placed on a bed of custard. It’s a real delicacy for lovers of desserts. In France, home of the recipe, ‘eggs in snow’ is also called ‘floating islands’ because of how the meringues appear to be floating in a sea of custard.

Divide the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites vigorously with 20g of sugar until frothy and solid. Put 250 ml of milk on to heat in a saucepan, add 50g of sugar and the seeds of half vanilla bean. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar. The milk must not come to a boil, but only until bubbles form round the edge. Shape the beaten egg into oval shapes with two spoons and let them slide gently into the milk. After a few minutes they will swell. Drain, place them on a plate and leave them to cool. Don’t throw away the milk - leave it in the pot. Replace some of the evaporated milk until it reaches a total of 250ml again (it will take approximately another 50 ml of milk). In a bowl, beat the egg yolk diluted with a little of the milk that you have used to cook the meringues, then pour the beaten egg back into the saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly. You should get a very smooth and fluid custard, but one which is not entirely liquid nor solid. When cooked, leave it to cool. To serve, pour the custard on a saucer or a small bowl, lay one or more of the oval meringues on the custard and pour over some caramel or chocolate to taste.