A French classic returns

After years of neglect, a beloved French dessert has come back.

Ile flottante -- floating island -- has an elemental quality: Soft, milk-poached meringues float on a sea of creme anglaise (vanilla custard sauce); caramel is drizzled over all. The ingredients couldn’t be more basic: eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. The meringues are so soft, and the creme anglaise so lightly sweet, it’s like eating a dream.

The dessert has been a fixture at Mimosa since it opened on Beverly Boulevard in 1997, but now you also can find it on the menu at Lilly’s French Cafe & Wine Bar in Venice and frequently at Cafe Beaujolais in Eagle Rock; Chloe in Playa del Rey offers it now and again. And people are cooking it too: A friend reports she was served ile flottante at a recent alfresco lunch in Beachwood Canyon.

Both Cafe Beaujolais and Angelique Cafe in L.A. have included ile flottante on their menus today in honor of Bastille Day. The reason? “It’s very beautiful, very simple, “ says Eric Ulder, owner of Cafe Beaujolais. “Not many people do it anymore, [yet] it’s super-classic.” In fact, the dish has been around even longer than July 14, 1789 -- in “The Diner’s Dictionary,” John Ayto reports that Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1771, “At dinner had a floating island.”

Any pastry chef worth his or her sugar knows how to whip up an ile flottante, and many will prepare it even if it’s not on their menu. La Cachette, L’Orangerie and Angelique Cafe in L.A.; Melisse in Santa Monica; and Mille Fleurs in Rancho Santa Fe all make floating islands on request. Call a day in advance and ask. Otherwise, keep your fingers crossed, and ask when you order.

Or go ahead and make it yourself. As elegant as it is, it’s also wonderfully simple.

Make the caramel sauce ahead of time, then prepare a creme anglaise. To form the islands, whip egg whites and sugar into stiff peaks. Spoonful by spoonful, drop the meringue into simmering milk to poach. Ladle chilled creme anglaise into soup plates, drop two or three islands onto it, then lace with caramel.

“It takes five minutes,” Ulder says. Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. In any case, it’s a sweet reward for a little effort.

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Ile flottante (floating island)

Total time: 40 minutes

Servings: 7

Note: From Christian Shaffer, chef-owner of Chloe

Creme anglaise

3 egg yolks (save whites for

meringue)

1/3cup sugar

1 pint half-and-half

1 vanilla bean

1. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl until well blended.

2. Pour the half-and-half into a medium saucepan. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the half-and-half. Drop in the pod. Heat to a simmer.

3. Add a little of the half-and-half mixture into the egg yolk-sugar mixture, stirring slowly. Add the rest, stir to combine and pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 5 to 6 minutes. Strain the mixture into a bowl and chill. May be made a day ahead; cover and store in the refrigerator.

Caramel sauce

1/4cup water

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1. Combine the water and sugar in a small heavy saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil without stirring until the sugar turns deep amber, about 6 to 7 minutes.

2. Remove the syrup from the heat. Stir in the cream and set aside. Can be made a day ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate. Warm gently over low heat before serving.

Meringues and assembly

3 egg whites

1/2cup sugar

2 cups milk

1/2 cup toasted almonds1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form.

2. Pour the milk into a medium skillet and heat to a low simmer.

3. Form the egg-white mixture into meringue “islands” by spooning about one-fourth cup of meringue onto a large spoon and then turning the spoon over and scooping the mixture into another spoon to form ovals.

4. Drop the meringues into the simmering milk. Poach them, turning once, for about 3 minutes total. If a skin forms on the milk, skim it off and discard. Remove the meringues from the milk, and set onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. To serve, spoon one-third cup creme anglaise into a soup plate. Top with two meringue “islands” and drizzle with a little caramel sauce. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve immediately.

Each serving: 415 calories; 7 grams protein; 57 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 17 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 137 mg. cholesterol; 65 mg. sodium.