Romanian floating islands (lapte de pasăre) with vanilla sauce

Name: Romanian floating islands (lapte de pasăre) with vanilla sauce
Ingredients: 650 ml milk; 3 eggs; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 100 g sugar; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dessert - Romanian floating islands (lapte de pasăre) with vanilla sauce by Teona C. - Recipia

Romanian floating islands are made by poaching beaten egg whites in milk and serving them over vanilla sauce. Lapte de pasăre is eaten very cold, in bowls. The egg yolks and cornstarch thicken the sauce into a smooth custard, while the little meringues stay soft; I make them about a tablespoonful so I can turn them easily in the saucepan. Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 17 minutes. Rest: 120 minutes. Total: 152 minutes. Serves: 4. About 250 kcal and 10 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

650 ml milk
3 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
100 g sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in a clean bowl and the yolks in another bowl. Beat the egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt until stiff, then gradually add 50 g sugar and beat until you have a thick, glossy foam. 2. Pour 650 ml milk into a wide saucepan and bring it to a boil, about 8 minutes. 3. Turn the heat to low. Scoop up spoonfuls of egg white, about a tablespoonful each, and poach them in two batches for 1 minute on each side. Lift them out with a slotted spoon onto a plate. 4. Strain the remaining milk. Beat the yolks with 50 g sugar and 1 teaspoon cornstarch, then gradually pour in the strained milk, stirring as you go. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, then add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. 5. Put the meringue puffs in bowls and pour the sauce over them. Cover and refrigerate for 120 minutes, until the dessert is very cold.

Notes

Egg whites whip more easily when the eggs aren't cold from the fridge and the bowl and beaters are clean, with no trace of yolk. I don't have childhood memories of this dessert, my mother didn't make it for us, and I thought the meringue was strange; after two failed attempts, I'm happy with it now. If you double the quantities, poach the meringue puffs in more batches and keep them in a single layer until you cover them with sauce. Whole milk makes a richer sauce; with lactose-free milk, use the same amount, 650 ml. The dessert keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve it cold, plain, with black tea if you'd like something to drink alongside it. For a different flavor, replace the extract with the seeds from one vanilla pod. Contains milk and eggs.