1Separate the egg whites and egg yolks. Use egg whites for the meringue and egg yolks for the custard.
2Heat milk and cream in a saucepan with a vanilla bean and its seeds.
3Once the milk and cream start to heat up, add the sugar and egg yolks.
4Gently cook the mixture over low heat, stirring continuously, until it reaches 82 degrees Celsius or coats the back of a spoon.
5Pour the custard into a bowl and place it in a larger bowl with ice for rapid cooling to keep it smooth and prevent skin formation.
6Whip the egg whites (at room temperature) until they start to foam.
7Add the sugar in three stages while continuing to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
8Put the whipped meringue into a piping bag and fill the molds.
9Use a small spatula to make the meringue molds more elegant and round.
10Bake the meringue in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 6-7 minutes in a bain-marie (with a pan of boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven).
11Prepare the dry caramel by adding sugar one spoon at a time to a pan until it melts and turns brown.
12Toast some flaked almonds.
13With a fork, create caramel decorations by moving it very high over parchment paper to form golden threads.
14Assemble the dessert: add the vanilla sauce as a base, then place the soft meringue island on top, and finally decorate with toasted almonds and caramel threads.
Ingredients
350 ml whole milk
150 ml cream
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
80 gr sugar
qb toasted almonds
5 egg whites
30 gr sugar
200 gr sugar
flaked almonds
Equipment
saucepanbowlthermometerspatulapiping bagmoldsovenbaking dish for bain-marieforkparchment paper
Tips
Cook the vanilla cream gently over low heat, stirring continuously, until it reaches 82 degrees Celsius or coats the back of a spoon.
Cool the vanilla cream rapidly in a bowl placed in a larger bowl with ice to stop cooking and prevent a skin from forming.
Add sugar to the egg whites in three stages when making French meringue.
Cook the meringue in a bain-marie in the oven for delicate cooking.
When making caramel decorations, move the fork very high over parchment paper to create fine threads.