A Cozy Floating Island for the Holiday!
A tribute to Jacques Pepin's 90th Birthday and my new favorite meringue dessert!
Just like the Charlotte Malakoff I watched Julia Child make in the 1970s, the Floating Island, known by different names all over the world (Île flottante, Œufs à la neige, Snow eggs, Madártej, Šnenokle or šne nokle, and Cuckoo spit on custard!) was a similar fascination and a dessert I only witnessed once in the wild as a child. My late aunt, Melissa, was a TV producer in the 1980s and would take me to fancy dinners in NYC when I would take the train from Westport, CT to spend the odd weekend in her glamorous world. It was one such evening at The Odeon that I first had a floating Island. Meringue poached in milk, literally floating on a pool of Crème Anglaise (vanilla custard sauce) and it was the most melt-in-your-mouth, heavenly dessert I had ever experienced. It was decades before I would have another and even longer before I would make it.
Jacques Pepin’s 90th Birthday Party
On November 18, in honor of Jacques Pepin’s 90th Birthday, I threw him a party with my friends, Karyn Tomlinson (Best Chef Midwest James Beard 2025), Stephanie March (ultimate host and my Paris partner), Brooke Faudree (exquisite chef and a culinary director of my show, Zoë Bakes), plus the exceptional kitchen and front of house team at Myriel (Karyn’s award-winning restaurant). We did it to celebrate Jacques Pepin, who we all admire and have been influenced by, but also to raise money for his philanthropic work, The Jacques Pepin Foundation. We had 20 guests come for one of the most incredible meals I have been blessed to be a part of. I can’t express fully how talented and generous my friends are. Watching them make this gorgeous meal and create such a beautiful dining experience was an honor to behold. Each one of them are unbelievably talented and I am humbled to have been in the mix.
I knew instantly what I would be making to celebrate one of the most iconic chefs of our time, a tribute to his Floating Island, of course. And it is the perfect dessert to offer if any of your guests are gluten-free, just a delicious bonus!
Jacques Pepin’s recipe is baked in a loaf pan and filled with chopped strawberries and pistachios. Given the time of year, I went with something a bit more wintery and cozy for the party. For the version I share with you below, I make an Espresso Meringue, bake it in Rosemary Caramel, and pour Eggnog Crème Anglaise around it like a holiday moat. To gild the lily, as one does around the holidays, I candied rosemary and cranberries for the garnish.
I LOVE the ease of Jacques Pepin’s baked version of the classic, since I find poaching the meringue tricky business to do just before serving at a party. The baked version means you can make it the day (or more) ahead and unmold it before your guests arrive. Chef Pepin doesn’t coat the pan in caramel, but I think it added depth of flavor, plus it looked so beautiful and rich, like a party.
