Oeuf à la neige with compressed fruit
- Dessert
- Medium
- 10
- 60 minutes
PT1H
Oeuf à la neige – also known as floating island or île flottante – is a French dessert of poached or steamed meringue served 'floating' in a pool of creamy anglaise custard. While it is often served with caramel, Graham Hornigold's floating island recipe opts for a combination of fruity flavours to breathe new life into this sweet dessert. The anglaise is given a citrus kick with lemon and lime juice, while chunks of mango and strawberry – compressed in a vacuum to produce a wholly unique texture – bring both colour and zesty flavour to the plate.
Ingredients
Compressed fruit
- 1 mango
- 300g of strawberries , hulled
- 1 orange , zest only
- 1 lime , zest only
Confit citrus
Meringue
- 250g of egg white
- 75g of caster sugar
- 75g of glucose
- 1 vanilla pod, scraped
Citrus anglaise
- 250ml of whole milk
- 250ml of whipping cream
- 125g of flaked almonds , roasted until brown
- 150g of egg yolk
- 65g of sugar
- 1/2 lemon , zest and juice
- 1/2 lime , zest and juice
Equipment
- Vacuum bags (2)
- Chamber sealer
- Food mixer with whisk attachment
- Piping bag and nozzle
- 7cm ring moulds (10)
- Steam tray
Method
1
The day before serving, prepare the compressed fruit. Slice the strawberries in half and place in a vacuum bag with the orange zest. Peel the mango and chop into cubes, placing in a separate bag with the lime zest. Lightly vacuum both bags to compress and leave in the fridge overnight
- 300g of strawberries , hulled
- 1 orange , zest only
- 1 mango
- 1 lime , zest only
2
For the confit citrus, carefully peel the lemon and lime halves, reserving the juice from each for the citrus anglaise. Slice the peel into fine julienne and blanch in boiling water, refreshing immediately in cold water. Repeat this process, blanching and refreshing the peel, using fresh water each time
3
Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan, heating gently to form a syrup. Add the peel to the pan and poach lightly until translucent. Remove from the syrup and set aside to cool and dry
- 100g of water
- 100g of sugar
4
For the meringue, place the egg whites and scraped vanilla seeds in a stand mixer and whisk on a low speed for 20 minutes, gradually adding the sugar and glucose, until the mixture forms a smooth, shiny meringue
- 250g of egg white
- 1 vanilla pod, scraped
- 75g of glucose
- 75g of caster sugar
5
Meanwhile, prepare the citrus anglaise. Whisk the egg yolk and sugar together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large pan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour the hot cream over the egg mixture
- 150g of egg yolk
- 65g of sugar
- 250ml of whipping cream
- 250ml of whole milk
6
Stir to combine the cream and egg mixtures, returning the anglaise to the pan along with the almond flakes. Over a medium-low heat, gently cook out the anglaise until it reaches 83°C, then remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a clean bowl
- 125g of flaked almonds , roasted until brown
7
Chill the bowl of anglaise over ice, allowing to cool completely. Once chilled, stir through the citrus juice and zest (including the reserved juice from the confit citrus) – adding the citrus before the anglaise has cooled completely could lead to discolouration
8
Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas mark 1
9
Once the meringue ingredients have been fully incorporated and the mixture is glossy and firm, carefully transfer the meringue to a piping bag. Arrange 10 ring moulds across a steamer tray and brush or spray lightly with sunflower oil
10
Using a circular motion, pipe the meringue neatly inside the moulds. Fill another try (of similar size to the steam tray) with water and place the steam tray on top. Wrap the two trays in tin foil to hold them in place and bake in the oven for 7–8 minutes
11
Once cooked, remove the tin foil and allow to cool a little. Carefully ease the meringues from their moulds ready to serve
12
To serve, fill the centre of a deep plate or shallow bowl with citrus anglaise and top with a steamed meringue. Remove the compressed mango and strawberries from their bags and scatter around the plate, garnishing with a few pieces of confit citrus
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Oeuf à la neige with compressed fruit
