Puddings 🇫🇷 French

Ile flottante

Soft poached meringue clouds floating on vanilla custard with a drizzle of caramel.

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  • Time1 hr
  • LevelHard
  • Costabout £0.78 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

6 servings

Ingredients

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Method

  1. 1

    Warm the milk with the vanilla until steaming. Whisk the yolks with 60 g of the sugar until pale and pour in the milk, whisking.

  2. 2

    Return to a low heat and stir until it coats the back of a spoon, 8 minutes. Strain, cool and chill.

    8 min
  3. 3

    Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks, adding 60 g sugar a spoonful at a time until glossy.

  4. 4

    Simmer a wide pan of water. Poach spoonfuls of meringue for 2 minutes each side. Drain on a cloth.

    4 min
  5. 5

    Heat 80 g sugar with 2 tbsp water without stirring until amber, 6 minutes.

    6 min
  6. 6

    Pour the custard into a dish, float the meringues on top and drizzle with caramel.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.

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