Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Floating Islands in Raspberry Creme Anglaise for Valentine's Day

Welcome to Tuesdays with Dorie, my weekly baking club. Today's assignment: Floating Islands. But first....
They say that second marriages are the triumph of hope over experience. And this weekend, on the day dedicated to love my oldest sister Laurie is exercising that buoyant hope and tying the knot. After a heart breaking divorce, Laurie rekindled some love in the form of an old high school boyfriend from 25 years ago. Want to see their groovy prom picture? I haven't seen him since then, and I was only a kid, but I still remember that he was nice. And it isn't easy to be nice to a passel of obnoxious little brothers and sisters.
Best of all is the happiness that Cupid has brought. Laurie's happy, Mark's happy, and all of us obnoxious little sisters and brothers are happy. Weddings are the best kind of family party, and with Laurie's knack for planning, this one will be a happy and hopeful hoot. Everyone of my brothers and sisters and my-side-of-the-family nieces and nephews will be in attendance..
And that included me and my eager charges. Until this weekend when we had a drastic change of plans. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
For now I'll tell you about this gorgeous dessert: Floating Islands in Raspberry Creme Anglaise. I had Floating Islands (Leche Nevada) on a weekly basis when I spent a year in Chile. The Chilean women were adept at pinching a penny and making spectacular desserts out of a handful of ingredients. This dessert won't cost you more than $2.00 for the six servings. It doesn't take much: some eggs, milk, sugar, and hopefully some vanilla. (I used a bit of raspberry syrup to tint mine pink for Valentine's Day.) The Quiet Man loved it. But for me, the truth about this beauty is that it is more fun to stand back and look at than to actually eat. It's not un-delicious exactly, it's just so very fluffy and creamy and when I'm done I wish I had a slice of chocolate cake. I'm cursed that way, with that chocolate-cake-wistful-remorse curse.
Find the recipe and gorgeous photos here.
Up Next: Spaghetti and Meatballs for Valentine's Day

45 comments:

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Aww, so lovely!!

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

The dessert looks so Valentinesdayish! Good luck to Laurie. How sweet to be married on valentines day.

Pamela said...

I'm with you in the dessert department. I need something substantial! ;o) Lots of luck and happiness to your sister!

Lady Baker said...

What a great story about your sister--a happy ending like that is better than dessert! ;)

gigi said...

Oh how sweet for your sister to find happiness after all these years. Wishing her and your family lots of joy and happiness on her special day.

No fluff replaces chocolate cake.

Nancy/n.o.e said...

What this lacked in the chocolate factor it made up in the fussy factor. This one was a challenge for me, but at least it was cheap, right?
Yours is pretty, and best wishes to your sister.
Nancy

Maria said...

Very pretty dessert! And best wishes to your sister!

Tanji said...

Yay for Laurie and her new/old love! :) I'm with you on the need for something toothfull. . . . like chocolate cake or seconds on tacos. It sure is beautiful though and I'm sure Roger would love it!

Jen @ tatertotsandjello.com said...

Congratulations to your sister Prudy! How nice and exciting! Your dessert looks wonderful - so romantic!

Thanks!

Jen

chocolatechic said...

Wonderful, and congratulations to your sister.

La Bella Cooks said...

Best wishes to your sister :) This looks absolutely decadent!

Cathy said...

Best wishes to your sister! Your islands look beautiful. Glad your hubs enjoyed it. We liked it too, but I'm kind of with you, I tend to regret the calories if there isn't flour in there somewhere (preferably in the form of chocolate cake). So I guess next Tuesday is going to be our big day, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Those look great! I'm so very happy for your sister. I hope everything is beautiful.

~Cat

Anonymous said...

My congrats to your sister Lauri! I think the Chicken Contest will miss you this year but Ruth Kendrick is going to do her best to uphold Utah's legacy. I love your blog and all your great recipes,
Valerie Phillips
Food editor
Deseret News

Emily said...

What a fun dessert! I love you fess-up about chocolate cake . . . I would probably feel the same! Whenever I make desserts with fruit my husband looks at me like "okay, now where is the real dessert?" I hope that you have a fabulous Valentines day! We are heading down south this weekento get out of the snow and to snjoy some SC sun!

Mandy said...

I love that your sister found happiness! Happy Valentines!!

Anonymous said...

It is a gorgeous dessert! Lots of happiness to your sister!

Katrina said...

I am a rock and those look like some great islands! They need some carbs, IMO.

Noel said...

Yeah! Spaghetti and meatballs, I'm craving carbs, so I can't wait until tomorrow!

vibi said...

Woah! That's groovy alright! Let's just hope he doesn't get married in the same kinda jacket! LOL LOL K-I-D-D-I-N-G!!! I can tell a 80's picture when I see one c'mon! LOL
Nevertheless, your asiland looks great! ...and the reaspberry in the creme anglaise is a very nice touch! Bravo, Prudy!

Marjie said...

I love lightweight desserts, but all of my entourage love chocolate cake and such. Best of luck to Laurie; hope you and the wee ones enjoy it.

Anonymous said...

How cool for your sister. That's just wonderful!

Raspberry creme anglaise sounds delicious.

Marthe said...

Yum, your islands look perfect! I love the raspberry addition to the creme anglaise!

The Blonde Duck said...

Gorgeous, as always!

I moved! Come visit me at www.aduckinherpond.com.

Sara said...

What a beautiful dessert! We are heading down south to your kneck of the woods this week. I hope we get some good weather. Congrats to your sister!

Shari said...

I love that quote: second marriages are the triumph of hope over experience. Hope it's a happy ending for your sister. Your raspberry variation sounds delicious. And good to know how economical this dessert actually is. Thanks for baking along with me this week!

Anonymous said...

Aww, what a sweet story!

Your floating islands look lovely. Makes me wish I hadn't been such a bum about TWD lately.

Anonymous said...

I'm new to your blog, and I think it's a great idea to put the budget for the meals you prepare. I just analyses my monthly expenses, and food is a huge post, so I need to cut back on that.
However, there are huge differences in the prices between states, big cities, etc... Where do you live? Because, here, in Paris, for 2$ you won't even get the 6 eggs needed to do the crème anglaise... :-(

Anonymous said...

I did not want to be mean in last the message, just to know where I need to move ;-)
And all my wishes of happiness to your sister!

Suzie said...

I hope that your sister is headed off to live happily ever after. The dessert looks great, but if I am having white fluff, it will be pavlova!

Debbie said...

That dessert looks delicious and best of luck to your sister. I love the picture!

Prudy said...

Hi Melanie:
Welcome! First of all, you're so unbelievably lucky to live in Paris! I'm jealous! I live in the southwestern portion of the United States. A dozen eggs will typically sell for about $1.50. I get a gallon of milk for about $2.50 also. Food in the US is actually really inexpensive. Still, to live in Paris must be worth every penny. Thanks for your comments.

Di said...

Your dessert looks gorgeous--I love the idea of making this raspberry flavored. I have to admit that I'd also rather have something chocolate, and in fact I made brownies instead of floating islands this week... =)

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Great story, I wish them all the best. Our wedding anniversary is Saturday too! Your Floating Islands have me over the moon!

Unknown said...

Congratulations so your sister!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations to your sister!!! The floating islands look great as well! But I like things a bit more substantial as well! That's why I can't wait until next week's cake! Happiness all around!

AmyRuth said...

Thanks for sharing a nice family story. Congratulations to your new brother-in-law and sister. May they have a blessed life together.
Also, I think your Islands look good. I liked them.
AmyRuth

Ivette said...

Great pic! The raspberry probably gave it an even better taste I'm glad you made it! My best wishes to your sister!

Seth and Julie said...

Hey, it's your cousin Julie. I have been blog stalking you for months and even made your orange chicken the other night, which was our favorite so far.

Anyhow, I don't usually comment but I had to say that I can't believe how much that picture of Laurie looks like Candice. Crazy!

muzzyblue said...

What a great story about your sister! I have one like that myself: after being divorced for about seven years, through a series of outrageous coincidences, an old friend from high school re-introduced me (via the internet and classmates.com) to a guy I had a crush on when I was a lowly freshman and he was a junior. After graduation, I left our hometown and never gave him another thought. Twenty-seven years later, we re-connected and four and a half months later, we were married!

Steph said...

I didn't make these, but i know what you mean. I always want to bake something after seeing such amazing pictures.

Gloria said...

Prudy I really love Floatings Islands and these look fantastic.
How are you??? Happy to see you, the times run ! xxxGloria

Reeni said...

These look scrumptious!! And yay! for high-school boyfriends!

TeaLady said...

Elegant!

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