The Floating Island, its history and our best addresses

Anne Debbasch | 4/3/24

Simple to make, the floating island is the brasserie dessert par excellence, on a par with profiteroles or chocolate mousse. We love it for its reassuring taste and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Gault&Millau takes you on a voyage of discovery.

Iconic of French cuisine, the first documented traces of the floating island can be found in the 17ᵉ century. Cook François Pierre de Varenne gave the recipe in his book "Le Cuisinier François": sweetened egg whites, steamed and served with custard. Today, the fundamentals remain unchanged for a dessert made equally well by pastry chefs and cooks. Popularized in many countries, it's also known as snow eggs or floating island. Today, the dessert is enriched by a number of variations: slivered and caramelized almonds for crunch, runny caramel or fruit. It can also be interpreted in an elegant gourmet version.

Anthony Coquereau's floating island at Fouquet's in Paris

" It's my little brother's favorite dessert, and I ate a lot of them when I was little. For my version of the floating island, I make a custard by adding egg whites. It's as creamy as ever, but lighter on the palate. The egg whites are baked in the oven for a few minutes to keep the texture supple and light. "Served with Mexican vanilla caramel and lightly caramelized flaked almonds, this ultra-gourmand dessert from Fouquet's Paris leaves no one indifferent!

99 avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris 8
www.hotelsbarriere.com/fr/collection-fouquets

Léo Troisgros' interpretation, La Colline du Colombier, Iguerande

Offered at La Colline du Colombier, this dessert was born of a desire for fresh fruit and a floating island in the middle of summer. " We came up with the idea of combining large, fluffy steamed meringues, a spicy ginger sorbet and acidic fruits, my favorite - mango, ginger and lemon. ché-mignon - mango, peach, strawberry and kiwi - cut up and put together in "Matisse" style. The fruit is peeled and cut into thin slices, then assembled in alternating layers," explains Léo Troisgros. Served with a mixture of orange juice and carrot juice, the ice cream melts gently onto the egg whites, transforming the floating island into a flowing one. We can't get enough!

Le Colombier, 71340 Iguerande
www.troisgros.com/home

A very Parisian floating island, La Coupole, Paris 14

A brasserie dessert par excellence, the floating island at La Coupole takes the form of a generous dome served on a creamy custard, then topped with a runny salted butter caramel. For crunch, the chef adds a handful of crunchy flaked almonds on top. An irresistible French dessert!

102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris 14
www.lacoupole-paris.com

Emmanuel Leblay's floating island, La Pie qui couette, Nîmes

Emmanuel Leblay offers a daring interpretation of his floating island. The egg whites are baked in a silicone mold to create a light crust on top. "Accompanied by a creamy vanilla custard, the dessert is served with a hint of caramel for added flavor.

Halles centrales, 6a rue Guizot, 30000 Nîmes
Read the Gault&Millau review of La Pie qui Couette

Antoine Jardin's chocolate and verbena floating island, Centurion New-York

Elegant and stylish, the floating island by Antoine Jardin, a former Ritz Paris chef now based in New York, is the envy of many. " I like my desserts to be legible; the verbena leaf shape is a first indication before tasting. I work with ingredients as raw as possible to let them express their aromatic palette. Here, lemon verbena adds freshness to the chocolate without overpowering it; the two balance each other out. "A play of tastes and textures, the steamy meringue is reminiscent of the texture of a chocolate mousse, while the sauce, a blend of dark and milk chocolate, amplifies the deliciousness. To play with flavors, he adds caramelized grué, verbena powder and oil, and lemon for floral notes. What else!