It’s time for another monthly Recipe Swap, the first of the year. Christianna from Burwell General Store started it more than a year ago, getting the idea from All-Day Singin’ and Dinner on the Ground, an old cookbook and hymnal she unearthed at a flea market. Every month a group of food bloggers gets the assignment with a challenge not only to reproduce the recipe, but to change it and make it their own. The recipes are short, not very detailed, and obviously aimed at experienced home cooks.
In December, we switched books and made our first recipe from ‘The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes From Famous Eating Places“, yet another book Christianna found at a flea market. This month the task was to remake Zabaglione, an Italian custard dessert that was a staple at the Imperial House restaurant in Chicago.
I love Italian food, Italian music (just peek into my iTunes library, there are hundreds and hundreds of canzone), and above all, the Italian language (my University of Belgrade diploma is the proof), but when it comes to desserts, I tend to favor the Central European and Middle Eastern-influenced delicacies of my childhood. It has nothing to do with geography, but rather with those immeasurable specks of Mother’s love that magically found their way into every morsel.
I did not even hesitate or attempt to second-guess my decision after I read the ingredients: I knew that I would be making Šnenokle (Snow Dumplings), a light and creamy, egg-based dessert also known as Iles Flottante for the connoisseurs of French cuisine. It is one of the few sweets that ended up in my black leather bound notebook that traveled with me through college and bravely crossed the ocean to help me adjust to my new home in the U.S.
We always had eggs and milk in the house, and this was a go-to dessert for emergencies. To this day, I have not encountered a soul, except for my first husband’s sister, who did now swoon over this simple, but elegant dish. I know that we counted the hours after the hot, pale yellow cream was placed in the fridge, eagerly awaiting its final appearance at the kitchen table. Mother sometimes placed buttery cookies on the bottom of the dish and with time they became one with the cream, adding just right amount of texture and flavor.
As simple as this dessert is, it took years for me to stop worrying about the outcome and become comfortable making it on the spur of the moment. Creme Anglaise can be finicky, and I spent hours panicking over its consistency and tendency to curdle at at whatever whim. In our house, the eggs and milk are always available. As my girls love the rich taste of the cream and pillowy and light texture of the egg white clouds swimming in the sea of yellow, I try to indulge them from time to time.
We are having a guest tonight for dinner: Husband’s Vietnamese colleague is visiting us for the first time, and I decided to put some sparkle to my dessert, to give it some more panache and make it shine. I made caramel sauce and decorated the bowls with caramel swirls, while the girls buzzed around me frenetically, hoping I’d have some remaining pieces of amber sugar. Now I sit and wait, but I am smiling in contentment, not afraid of the outcome.
ILES FLOTTANTE (ŠNENOKLE)
Ingredients:
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1l (1 quart) milk
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form on high speed. Add sugar and mix until the meringue is firm and shiny. In the meantime scald the milk on medium heat until it starts to ripple. Turn the heat to medium-low. Using a larger spoon scoop up some meringue and place it in the milk carefully. Work in stages, turning the meringue after a minute or two. Take them out with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl, or several individual smaller dishes. Place the bowl into the refrigerator.
After all the egg whites are gone, strain the milk and heat it up again. Whip the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla until pale yellow and shiny. Pour small amount of milk into eggs to temper them, and them pour all of the egg mixture into the hot milk. Stir on low heat until it thickens and coats the back of the wooden spoon.
Pour the cream on top of the egg whites and place back into the refrigerator.
My fellow bloggers who participate in Recipe Swap are extremely talented and creative people. Stop by their blogs and check out their renditions of this month’s challenge.
Lana these look magnificent! I caught myself mesmerized my your photo and the elaborate sugar art and pulled myself back to keep reading. The name is enchanting enough but these are so unique. I’ve never seen anything quite like them. I always love reading your posts for all of yourself you share; thank you.
Šnenokle su mi jako drage. Ja obično na dno posudice izlomim petit beurre, pofajtam s amalo toplog mleka, pa stavim noklice od belanca, a onda krem. keks omekša i upija tečnost koju belanci puštaju. Baš sam se smejala kad sam ranije videla ovo čarobno francusko ime za šnenokle ili za engleski krem. Kod nas su neke stvari obične, podrazumevaju je kao običan desert nakon nedeljnog ručka a u svetu je to poslastica. Naše žene su genijalne.
What a beautiful and unusual dessert! I really love the title of your post too.
I must get over my fear of cooked custards to make this dish. It sounds too divine to miss out on!
This is gorgeous my sweet friend. I am sure your hubby’s colleague was thrilled. The caramel is just beautiful and I bet the flavor is delicious. This was another fun swap. xo
That is such a beautiful work of art, it would be hard to eat it… or at least for a moment.
I feel the same way about creme anglaise- it’s so fussy, but SOOOO good…
What a culinary masterpiece I just love the caramel figure on the top and the syrup.
I adore those photos, absolutely gorgeous! Well done, Lana
Love iles flottante…had them last year in Paris….cannot believe it has been almost a year! How time does fly by…love these posts about old lost & found cook books.
Don’t mention the passing of time, Mairi! It’s a dangerous territory:) Yes, our Recipe Swap is great as it challenges us to change the recipe and adapt it in a creative way which tells our story:)
Nabasah na vase snenokle slucajno…i vratise me u djetinstvo ….auuu sto volim snenokle…