My grandfather owned a greeting card business, but his passion was watercolor painting. He and my grandmother would sail from Florida, where they kept their boat, to the Caribbean, where my grandfather would paint the sandy islands and cerulean sea. It was therefore felicitous that Floating Island, a culinary gâterie from France, was his favorite dessert. My mom says she remembers her mother teaching their cook, Dessie (I can’t believe they had a cook), how to make Floating Island in the basement kitchen of their Chicago brownstone. Mom remembers her brother (my uncle) sucking the meringue off the top of Floating Island through the space between his teeth. Years later, after I’d come around, I always requested Floating Island when we’d go downtown to Grandmother’s apartment. It was my way of feeling connected to a grandfather I’d only met, but never knew, and honoring where I may have inherited my own love for art and secret islands surrounded by turquoise waters.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- Two egg yolks, slightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
- Blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a two-quart saucepan.
- Combine milk and egg yolks (keep egg whites separate) and gradually stir into sugar mixture.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils.
- Boil and stir for one minute.
- Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla.
- Pour into dessert dishes.
- Cool slightly and chill. (This is the sea in which the island floats.)
- Beat egg whites with a little sugar to form a soft meringue consistency. (This is the island.)
- Put vanilla wafers in the bottom of the dishes, and top with meringue.
Serves four.
Photo courtesy of tartelette.blogspot.com
