This is the kind of dessert you serve on a Sunday evening when you want to treat everyone without spending two hours in the kitchen. Everyone knows the floating island. But with a raspberry vinegar caramel instead of the classic one, it becomes something truly different.
Ingredients :
- Raspberry Vinegar — It’s the star of the recipe. It replaces white vinegar in a classic caramel and provides a superb burgundy color with a discreet fruity taste. Use a high-quality one — Huilerie Beaujolaise is perfect, otherwise any artisanal raspberry vinegar will do. Avoid overly sweet industrial versions that will result in a flat caramel.
- Eggs — Six eggs, and each part has its role: yolks for the custard, whites for the meringues. Fresh eggs yield whites that whip better and a richer custard. Separate them while cold; it’s easier.
- Vanilla Bean — No liquid extract here. Half a bean is enough: split it, scrape the seeds with the back of a knife, and put everything — seeds and pod — into the milk. Those little black dots in the cream are what make the visual and taste difference.
- Sugar (in two parts) — 75 g for the raspberry caramel, 100 g for the custard, and 50 g to stiffen the whites. Don’t mix up the portions — caramel with too much sugar will be cloying, and whites without sugar won’t hold up during cooking.
