and a garnish of chopped almonds and currants. The layers were assembled to form a type of cake that was frosted with chantilly cream, with either custard or berry puree poured over the whole thing. Preparation Floating island typically consists of a meringue served floating on a light custard sauce. Some variations invert this by using a thicker sauce served on top of the meringue instead. To make the meringue, the egg whites are beaten with sugar and poured into a mold that may be lined with caramelised sugar. It is then steamed in the oven in a bain-marie. Once the meringue is cooked and chilled, the sauce is poured on a serving plate, and the unmolded meringue placed on the sauce to "float". Cultural depictions In the 1957 film Desk Set, Katharine Hepburn's character Bunny Watson served Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy) floating island dessert. In Jack London's story, The Apostate, floating island is a dish that holds a near-mythical ideal to the working class lead character. Floating island is mentioned in the Maud Hard Lovelace book Heaven to Betsy. In the Nancy Drew mystery story The Hidden Staircase, floating island is served at Twin Elms. In American Horror Story: Coven, floating island is one of Myrtle Snow's favorite desserts after key lime pie. See also List of custard desserts List of dairy products List of French desserts References External links Custard desserts French desserts American desserts British desserts Historical foods in American cuisine Meringue desserts Hungarian pastries