French · Authentic-ish French
Ile Flottante
165 kcal a serving, against 396 for the traditional version. That is 231 kcal off, or 58%, with 8.8g of protein. Serves 6. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A heavy creme anglaise made from whole milk, double cream, a vast amount of egg yolks and heaps of caster sugar. A massive meringue is whipped with even more sugar, poached gently in milk, and dropped on top of the custard. Finally, a hard sugar caramel is poured over the top, alongside a generous handful of toasted almonds.
What changed, and what each change costs
300g of sugar down to 80g
The traditional recipe relies on sugar not just for flavour, but for structural integrity in the meringue and the caramel. I use just enough to hold the egg whites together and sweeten the custard slightly.
What it costs you. You lose the hard caramel web on top completely, because 80g of sugar isn't enough to make a syrup. The meringue is also significantly less stable and will weep if left in the fridge.
Whole milk and double cream down to semi-skimmed milk
Classic creme anglaise often sneaks in double cream for a velvety mouthfeel. I use semi-skimmed milk and rely entirely on gentle heat to bring it together.
What it costs you. The custard is undeniably thinner. It lacks that heavy, mouth-coating dairy fat that makes bistro puddings so incredibly rich.
90g of egg yolk down to 45g, plus cornflour
Egg yolks provide the thickening power, but they carry a massive amount of fat. I drop half the yolks and whisk in a small spoonful of cornflour to stop the thin milk from splitting.
What it costs you. Purists will scream that this is a cheat's custard. They are absolutely right. It lacks the deep yellow colour and the intensely savoury egg flavour of the original.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 396 | 165 |
| Protein | 9.8g | 8.8g |
| Fat | 15.3g | 5g |
| Saturated fat | 7g | 1.9g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.4g | 20.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.5g | 5.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish French prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, milk, nuts.
The method is in the book
So: a light, airy dessert that clears the palate. A rich, heavy winter pudding was never on the table once the fat came out. The custard tastes predominantly of milk and vanilla rather than rich fat, and the meringue is incredibly fragile. I miss the hard caramel crunch of the original, but I don't miss the sugar crash. It still looks fantastic in the middle of the table, and you can eat a massive bowl of it without regret.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish French, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback