Oeufs A La Neige is a French dessert consisting of a meringue floating in vanilla custard. The meringue is made with egg white, vanilla and sugar, while the vanilla custard is made with egg yolks, hot milk and vanilla which are cooked together. The name literally translates into ‘eggs in snow’, and the dish is also called ‘floating island’ or île flottante.
Oeufs À La Neige Recipe Overview
The sauce used to make Oeufs A La Neige has a thin consistency, so that the meringues ‘float’ on the top. Some variations may, however, have a thicker sauce.
To prepare the meringue, egg whites are beaten together with sugar and poured into caramel lined moulds. In some cases they are also shaped using spoons and then cooked in sweet vanilla flavored milk.
The custard is prepared by cooking milk, vanilla, sugar and egg yolks in a bain-marie for some minutes, taking care that the custard remains thin and pourable.
When both the meringues and custard are prepared, the custard is topped with the meringues and the ‘floating island’ is ready to serve.
Serving Oeufs À La Neige
The delicious Oeufs A La Neige is best served in aesthetically designed dessert bowls after the main course of a meal. The custard is poured into bowls and the meringue is placed on the top. It may be served cold or at room temperature.
Oeufs A La Neige Recipe Variations
The Oeufs A La Neige recipe shows some variations, as additional ingredients like cardamom and chocolate may be used to flavor the dish. The chocolate variant is made by adding dark chocolate while preparing the sauce, and dusting the meringue with cocoa powder before serving.
Difference between Oeufs a La Neige and Ile flottante: Although both these terms mostly connote the same dish, but Ile flottante, which has its roots in an English name, sometimes consists of layers of jam and dessert biscuits soaked in alcohol.
Nutritional Information about Oeufs À La Neige
The dish is a good source of instant energy as well as proteins. A single serving of 100g of Oeufs A La Neige contains about 160kcal, 4.4g protein, 4.4g fat and 26g carbohydrates.