Floating meringue islands recipe

These little floating islands of egg whites and sugar on a pool of custard are a classic and delicious dessert. Sweet and creamy custard, fluffy poached meringues and rich caramel sauce make this a really wonderfully sweet dessert which will impress your friends and family. You can make the custard ahead of time to allow you to make this in minutes when you need to. This recipe serves 4 people and takes 30 mins to make.

Ingredients

For the meringues:

• 2 egg whites
• 125g caster sugar

For the caramel sauce:

• 90g granulated sugar

For the custard:

Method

1. To make the meringues: Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl to soft peaks, then gradually whisk in the sugar until soft, shiny and fairly stiff.
2. Once you've made the custard using our classic custard recipe, pour the custard into a shallow pan and bring to a simmer. Put dessertspoonfuls of meringue mix into the custard and gently poach for 2 mins. Flip them over and poach for 1-2 mins, until spongy. Do this in 2 or 3 batches. Put them on a flat plate, while you cook the rest.
3. To make the caramel sauce: Put the sugar in a pan over a high heat, shaking it occasionally, so the sugar melts to a deep amber. Take off the heat, add 2 tbsp cold water to stop it cooking, then put back on a low heat to let the caramel dissolve again.
4. Pour the custard into 4 shallow plates. Place 3 meringues on top of each plate, then drizzle with caramel sauce and serve immediately.