Julia Child's Favorite Dessert Is A Vintage Classic

American chef Julia Child was famous for bringing French cooking to U.S. audiences through her TV shows and cookbooks, so it's no surprise that many of her most beloved foods come from her favored cuisine. Among the list of Julia Child's 100 favorite recipes lies a mysterious-sounding dish called the floating island. Said to be one of her favorite desserts, Child called the dish "a dramatic use for crème anglaise" in "Julia's Kitchen Wisdom: Essential Techniques and Recipes from a Lifetime of Cooking," a collection of personal cooking notes and recipes compiled and published as a cookbook.

While this publication no doubt introduced many home cooks to the recipe, Child had previously shared her own version under the dessert's French name, île flottante, in her cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1", originally released in 1961. Despite the fact that you may not see this dessert on too many restaurant menus today (though I did personally have it recently at the Elephant Walk in Boston, for those New Englanders who are curious), île flottante deserves a revival. It's a vintage French classic that features a delicate and airy meringue-based soufflé "floating" within a rich crème anglaise, and frequently topped with caramel and almonds.

In "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1", Julia Child described île flottante as either an unmolded caramel almond soufflé or a whipped cream-covered layer cake, with both versions surrounded by custard. Indeed, the differentiation between îles flottantes made with meringue versus cake is a point of slight contention, with some arguing that the meringue-based version is actually a dish called oeufs à la neige (snow eggs). Whether the dishes should be considered related desserts or the same dessert by different names is a topic of much debate, but there are some additional variations that are worth mentioning.

The Hungarian version of the floating island dessert is called madártej and is served more simply than the French version, typically without any toppings or accompaniments. Other countries also have a version of Child's favored treat. Germany calls it schnee-eier, Romania has lapte de pasăre, and Portugal has farófias, to name just a few. In many of these versions, meringues are poached in a lemon-flavored custard and may be given a light dusting of cinnamon before serving.

Indeed, the possibilities with the floating island are nearly endless. Child noted that the meringues could be surrounded by a traditional vanilla crème anglaise; one flavored with chocolate or coffee; or a fruit sauce made from raspberries or strawberries. (Making fruit sauce is also a great way to upgrade canned fruit in your pantry — a neat trick when you just spent all that effort making floating islands!)

If you're looking to master the master's favorite dessert at home, you only need a few ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, and whatever toppings or flavorings you would like. That said, you'll want to set aside plenty of time to make the dish. Start with the crème anglaise, which is a thin custard made by tempering egg yolks and sugar into hot (but not boiling) milk and vanilla. This needs plenty of time to chill before you make the rest of the dish, and can even be made a day or more in advance. If that sounds like too much work, you could always use Ina Garten's crème anglaise shortcut, instead. (Hint: It's melted, high-quality vanilla ice cream.)

Next, move on to the islands, snow eggs, or whatever else you'd like to call the meringues. For Julia Child's version, you'll want to beat the egg whites, sugar, and salt until they form stiff peaks — this is your meringue. You'll then transfer the meringue to a buttered mold that is put inside a pan of water (or bain-marie) before baking, cooling, and unmolding.

Some versions involve spreading the meringue onto a sheet pan and baking it gently before cutting it into pieces, while others are made by dropping meringues by the spoonful into milk and poaching them. Whatever method you choose, this dish is always served either at room temperature or chilled, so factor in timing if you're hoping to impress guests at your next dinner party.