Bake and Create: Soufflé Île Flottante

With crème anglaise and caramel

Last week, in Baking Blocks Pt. 1: Soufflé, we tackled a basic, sweet soufflé base that heavily relies on properly whipped egg whites for lift and flavor – beautifully simple in both taste and texture, falling somewhere between classic soufflé, marshmallow, and a sponge cake. With that flavor profile and texture in mind, I wondered what other dishes I could make using it, and île flottante immediately came to mind.

Île flottante is a dessert consisting of poached (or lightly baked) meringue swimming in a sea of crème anglaise with a little bit of crunchy caramel that slowly melts into the anglaise – delicious. This soufflé recipe being so similar to meringue in taste and texture, makes it a delicious replacement for the meringue traditionally used in the dish. The final result tastes quite similar to the original, just a bit less sweet and a bit more toasty.

The baking method for the soufflé here is only slightly different than last weeks recipe, otherwise the formula remains exactly the same - just paired with different sauces. Which leads me to wonder - what would you pair the soufflé with? Let me know in the comments, and please stay tuned for another fun Bake and Create featuring soufflés next week.

Makes 3 islands (or 2 larger islands)