Oeufs a la neige is French for "eggs in snow". In summer, try serving it with cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines or mangoes.
560ml milk
1 vanilla bean
1 strip orange zest
2 large eggs
35g castor sugar
225ml milk
4 large egg whites
½ cup castor sugar
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
For the custard sauce, add the milk, vanilla bean and orange zest to a saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes to infuse the flavours.
Return the milk to a simmer.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until smooth, then gradually add a little of the hot milk. Continue whisking as you pour the rest of the milk in slowly.
In a saucepan, cook mixture over a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and you can draw a ribbon through it. Strain the custard through a sieve into a bowl, cover it and refrigerate until cold.
For the meringues, place the milk in a wide saute pan adding enough water to give you a depth of about 5cm to 6cm; bring it to a gentle simmer.
While the milk simmers, beat the egg whites in a bowl until they form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until the meringue is stiff.
Using two large spoons dipped in cold water, form six large egg-shaped ovals of meringue. Drop them gently into the simmering milky liquid (do a couple of batches, don't overcrowd). Cook on one side for about eight minutes, turn and cook on the other for about four minutes. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
To serve, pour custard sauce into each of 6 bowls and top with the meringues.
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