I wouldn’t call floating Islands a no-brainer, but they do offer a surprisingly high return on the time and ingredient investment. Like most home-spun classics, there are several ways you can make them. This is how I do it. You’ll want to gather:
2 cups milk
4 room-temperature egg whites
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 recipe crème anglaise, chilled
caramel sauce
Îles flottantes is a dessert that everybody’s familiar with. In France. Here in the States, and I dare say in lots of other places on Earth, it’s virtually unknown. Why I can’t say, but it’s a treat you’ll find in France wherever simple food is served: in bistros and in homes. It’s comfort food, in other words. But what exactly is a “floating island?” Basically it’s a blob of meringue poached in milk, floating in a puddle of crème anglaise and topped with caramel and/or nuts. It’s sweet but not too sweet, rich but not too rich, light but satisfying. In many ways a perfect dessert. If you’ve never tried it, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise.
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My grandmother was born and raised in Chicago, but these wafers seem to me to be Southern in origin. Not only are they topped with pecans, but their flavor profile bears an uncanny resemblance to a classic Southern spread: pimento cheese. Regardless of where they come from you’ll find them rich, tasty and refined. Begin by preheating your oven to 325. Combine the flour, salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl or the bowl of a mixer fitted with the beater and stir on low.
READ ONMy mother’s mother was a wondrous cook. Or perhaps I should say she became a wondrous cook. When she and my grandfather were first married in 1928 my grandmother knew next to nothing about the subject of cookery. An attractive, bookish type, she was far more interested in the law than in roasts or pies (she had the distinction of being the first female graduate of Loyola University’s law school). Those interests were to change once my grandfather realized that her kitchen repertoire consisted of little more than light salads, vegetables and other insubstantial, womanly fare. So he sent her to cooking school.
READ ONWhile I’m giving up the family secrets, my mother and sister asked why I didn’t just go ahead and publish my grandmother’s secret cheese wafer recipe. It’s possible they were being sarcastic, but it’s a darn good idea! I’m always looking for more savory baking recipes.
My grandparents, you must understand, were the very soul of gentility. They lived in an elegant country house my grandfather built. He wore a coat to dinner every night of the week in his own home. Their nightly pre-dinner ritual was a dry gin martini. My grandmother called these here favorite martini blotter (“soaker-upper”). I have very fond memories of these.
10 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces (2 sticks) soft butter
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
About 35 unsalted pecan halves
I’ve had quite a lot of requests for a “classic” American-style frosting the last few months. And because there’s nothing I won’t do to satisfy my readers, I finally decided to make some. Actually, a standard cake frosting recipe can be a useful thing to have around. My girls, for example, don’t like the richness of real buttercream. Instead they prefer the sweetness of a frosting. Kids. But they’re young yet. The recipe is quite simple. You’ll need:
READ ONOr not about leavening chemicals, anyway. Reader Rachel writes:
READ ONI have been trying to eat healthier, so I have been adding ground flax seeds to my morning oatmeal etc. I did a little research and learned that flax seeds can be substituted for eggs in some recipes. I have noticed that the flax seeds cause the liquid in the oatmeal to gelatinize a little. Do you have any idea how flax seeds work as an egg substitute and can they be used in anything or maybe only just recipes that need to be thickened by eggs?
Reader Jud writes:
READ ONMy wife, the household baker, says why should she replace her baking powder {and soda} every six months as we’ve heard recommended on cooking shows if she is pleased with the results? My response is, to paraphrase, if the results were good with “old” baking powder, why wouldn’t you want even better results by simply using fresh baking powder? Can you tell us about what changes occur with the passage of time and how the effectiveness of the baking powder and soda is affected? It makes sense to me to spend the small amount of money to replace every six months to get the best results possible. How important is it, really?
GREAT question, reader Vanessa. A lot of people wonder why some recipes call for both. If you consider that baking powder is really baking soda (combined with some tartaric acid and corn starch) the answer becomes a little clearer: sometimes you just need more “pop.” Adding a little baking powder to a recipe that already […]
READ ONI’ve received so many emails and comments on sodium (or potassium) aluminum sulphate and its rumored relationship to Alzheimer’s that it seems a post on the subject is warranted. I tend not to like to wade into matters like these because emotions run high, but I’ll tell you what I know. Around about 1970, some […]
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