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Les Îles Flottantes – Floating Islands

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword ile flotante

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 3

Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

Crème Anglaise

3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half (if you don’t have use 1 tsp vanilla extract)

For the meringues

3 egg whites
2 tbsp granulated sugar
Pinch of salt

Caramel

1/4 cup granulated sugar

To poach the meringues

2 cups water
1 cup milk

Instructions

First, prepare the Crème Anglaise, Put milk, heavy cream and the vanilla bean (I don’t have so I have used vanilla extract) in a saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to a boil.
In meantime, mix the egg yolks, and sugar in a bowl.
Once the milk is boiled, remove the vanilla bean from (if that’s what you have used).
Pour the boiled milk on the egg yolks mixture, gradually while stirring constantly to avoid cooking the egg yolks.
Pour the mixture back in the saucepan and cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Once the mixture coat the back of a spoon and resemble a thick cream, remove from heat. Don’t overcook it, otherwise the egg yolks will scramble. This may take less than 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce through a fine strainer.
Pour it in serving cups.
Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge.
Put the egg whites with a pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Whisk the egg whites on low speed first then increase the speed to medium and whisk until foamy.
Add sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Pour milk and water in a saucepan and let it simmer on medium low heat (don’t boil).
Use a spoon or 2 spoons to shape the meringue into quenelles (oval shaped).
Place the quenelles in the simmering milk mixture.
Poach for 2 minutes in each side.
Drain the poached meringues on paper towel.
Remove the serving cups with the Crème Anglaise from the fridge.
Place a poached meringues on top of the cooled Crème Anglaise. Set aside.
Prepare the caramel.
Put sugar in a saucepan over medium (to medium low) heat. Don’t stir just move the saucepan to help the sugar dissolve.
Once the sugar is dissolved and the caramel is formed, immediately pour it on top of the poached meringues and the Crème Anglaise in the serving cups.
Let chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

You can poach the meringues in water only (no milk).
If you want your caramel to stay liquid, just cook sugar with a little water (about 1 tbsp) and 1 teaspoon lemon juice until the caramel forms then add a little boiled water (about 1 tbsp).
You can make the Crème Anglaise ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge.

This is a traditional Algerian baked bread called Khobz el kousha or Matloua el kousha (el kousha also spelled el koucha which means oven in Arabic). It is made with very basic ingredients!

Matloua el kousha is just Matloua or bread that is baked in the oven. There are several recipes for Matloua or bread. Matloua is basically made with semolina, or flour or both.

Whether the Matloua is made of semolina, flour or a mix of semolina and flour, most recipes share the basic ingredients such as salt, yeast and water.

I previously shared a recipe for flour bread that was cooked in two ways; on the stove and in the oven. The one that was cooked in the oven is called Matloua Al kousha (picture above). I rolled out the mini Matloua using flour but you can use fine semolina as well.

Please check the recipe here: https://www.myexcellentdegustations.com/%f0%9f%87%a9%f0%9f%87%bf-algerian-traditional-flour-bread-called-matloua-or-thamthoot/

This mini Matloua or Matloua Al kousha was made with 3 measuring cups flour and 1 tablespoon yeast while the one in the picture above was made with 4 measuring cups flour and 1 tablespoon yeast. There is a slight difference with the rest of the ingredients.

I rolled out the mini Matloua using fine semolina but you can use flour as well. The use of semolina gives a unique texture to the bread on the outside.

You can brush the bread or mini Matloua with oil or butter right after taking it from the oven (optional).
That is the oil brushed Matloua in the picture above.

If you are making the mini Matloua to be stuffed for sandwiches, then you need to reduce the amount of yeast and sugar.

The bread above was made the exact way as the recipe I am sharing today but with 1 teaspoon yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar. It was rolled out using flour.

Reducing the amount of yeast (and sugar), will give you a bread with a pocket, that is suitable for sandwiches!

This is another type of Algerian Traditional Bread that doesn’t require kneading but it contains eggs. For recipe, please check here: https://www.myexcellentdegustations.com/algerian-bread-khobz-el-koucha/

Easy Algerian Bread – Khobz El Kousha or Matloua El Kousha (with no eggs)

Course Bread

Cuisine Algerian

Keyword matloua, mini matloua, matloua el koucha, matloua el kousha

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 7

Author LDS’s Mom

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp dry active yeast
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
About 1 3/4 cups water (more or less)

To shape the mini Matloua

About 1 cup fine semolina
Olive oil or vegetable oil

Instructions

In a cup, mix the yeast, sugar and 1 cup warm water. Let the yeast proof.
In another cup, mix the salt with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, put the sifted flour.
Add the yeast mixture and mix it with your hand.
Add the dissolved salt then add water, a little at the time while mixing by hand until the dough gets together and it is soft. The dough is a little sticky.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in volume.
Grease your hands with olive oil (or vegetable oil).
Deflate the dough and dump it on a working board.
Divide the dough into small balls (your choice of size).
Place them in a bowl of fine semolina. Coat them well with semolina.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Place the semolina coated balls (of dough )on the prepared baking sheet. Make sure to leave space between them.
Roll out the balls of dough into thin circles.
Cover with kitchen towel and let rise again until almost doubled in volume.
Bake in a 450°F (or 425°F depending on your oven) preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to place under the broiler in the last 2 minutes of baking.
Let cool a little bit before cutting.

Recipe Notes

The baked Matloua cook fast. If you stick a knife and it comes out clean after 15 minutes of baking, then just place it under the broiler to have that golden color.
At first, the baked Matloua may look hard on top, No worries, just cover it with kitchen towel for few minutes. If you like, brush it with olive oil (or your choice of oil or butter).
The total time in this recipe didn’t include the rising time of the dough.
This bread is called Khobz el koucha or Matloua el koucha. I choose to spell it el kousha ( instead of el koucha) as it is easier for my English readers to pronounce it.
You can use a stand mixer for this bread to just mix the basic ingredients (no kneading).