Daniel's Kitchens Serving Face

ELLE DECOR’S LONGTIME COLUMNIST DANIEL BOULUD RECALLS THE LATE 1980S, WHEN LUNCH WAS KING AND A FLOATING-ISLAND DESSERT WAS THE PERFECT FINISH.

- Daniel Boulud

IT WAS AN AGE OF DECADENCE AND GLAMOUR, OF pasta primavera, black-tie sea scallops laced with truffles, and restaurants that served weightless mountains of cotton candy that echoed ladies’ hairstyles of the day.

When ELLE DECOR was launched 30 years ago, lunch was the main event. New York’s Le Cirque, where I was a chef from 1986 to 1992, was the place to be and be seen. You’d have Andy Warhol sitting next to Jackie Onassis, who came for the nine-herb ravioli, sitting next to Betsy Bloomingdale and Barbara Walters holding court at her table.

Back then, everyone dressed up for lunch—and they didn’t just take pictures of their food, they really ate it. Dessert was obligatory and often a showstopper, both in taste and appearance. The most iconic example was an îleflottante—floating island—sent to the table crowned with a cage of spun sugar. You’d crack the exterior and eat the caramel, or the waiter would daintily lift it off for you. Either way, it was a little bit of childish magic and fun at the end of a meal that was all about the drama.

The île is an elegant set-piece and a zero-waste dessert: The egg yolks go into the custardy sauce, and the whites are whipped into the delicate floating islands that conceal tart fruits. Here, I suggest orange and cranberry, but you can use whatever suits your taste or the season: pomegranates or raspberries would be equally at home. And if you’re serving adults, put some booze in the cream. I like an orange liqueur, but rum works too. It’s a chic throwback that is just as charming today as it was three decades ago.

ÎLE FLOTTANTE

SERVES 6–8