James Hemings Snow Eggs Recipe
Snow Eggs
Snow Eggs or Isle Flotante or Oeufs a la neige as they’re known in France are wonderful poached meringues that sit on a custard or creme anglaise. The name snow was attributed to the whipping of the egg whites until they looked fluffy and stiff like snow.
In 1747 Hannah Glasse recorded in her cookbook The Art of Cooking Made Plain and Easy a recipe for floating islands, Glasse was an English cook but her recipe bears no resemblance to the recipe we know for today's version.
There is a note in a letter from Benjamin Franklin in 1771 about having a floating island dessert. But as far as we can tell James Hemmings's version that we know today was his own creation and is now enjoyed around the US and France, well even around the world.
Here is his original recipe for Snow Eggs
Snow Eggs
Serves Four
Ingredients
5 eggs
6 ounces sugar
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water
Small pinch of salt
Honey to serve
Method
Make the crème anglaise by Separating your eggs into two containers and put the egg whites aside.
Over medium heat, heat the milk, sugar, and about ¼ teaspoon of either rose water or orange blossom water in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally.
When the milk is simmering but not boiling, add the egg yolks, whisking continuously.
Continue whisking over medium heat until the mixture has begun to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Place a mixing bowl full of ice in the sink and place a smaller bowl inside it to chill.
Once the mixture has thickened—but while it is still runny enough to pour—run through a fine mesh sieve into the smaller bowl and leave to chill, stirring occasionally.
Place in the fridge to chill further.
Make the meringue by Beating the egg whites, powdered sugar, a small pinch of salt, and another ¼ teaspoon of rose water or orange blossom water until the whites are stiff and shiny, or “until you can turn the vessel bottom upward without their leaving it,” in Hemings’s words.
Poach the meringue by Placing a wide, shallow pan of water on a medium-high heat.
As it comes to a simmer, line a large plate or baking tray with paper towels.
Using a large tablespoon, scoop a generous dollop of the egg white mixture into the simmering pan of water, where it will float. You should be able to fit two or three in there, depending on the size of your pan.
After two minutes of poaching, very carefully flip over the meringues, poach for another two minutes, then lift out and drain on the paper towels.
Serve each person two or three meringues along with a generous serving of the cold crème anglaise.
Drizzle with honey to taste (the dessert is already very sweet).