Oeufs à la Neige with Caramelized Sugar Spheres

Oeufs à la Neige, which translates to “snow eggs” in English, is close to — and more often than not confused with — Floating Island (Île Flottante). One can easily see why: In both desserts, fluffy, soft meringue floats on a light custard sauce. The main difference is that Floating Island consists of one large round island baked before it is set on the sea of custard; this can be an individual portion or a meringue round large enough to serve four guests. In Oeufs à la Neige,