Customize your floating island I love this dessert because you can prepare it in a variety of ways, according to your wishes, ingredients and time available. Instead of baking the meringue in a mold, form meringue dumplings with two spoons and poach them in simmering milk, to be later used to prepare your custard. In a hurry? Poach your meringue in the microwave. Just to put a couple of meringue dumpling in a large dish filled with a little water and cook for about 25 seconds on high. You can also serve your floating island on a flavored custard. For example, add pieces of semisweet dark chocolate to your custard just before removing from the water bath. Stir to melt and put in fridge. For a coffee custard, replace about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of milk by the same amount of full-bodied espresso.
