Oeufs à la neige

As a teenager my father took me to the French Loire Valley and a meal sticks in my mind to this day, or more specifically, a dessert. Oeufs à la neige captured me first with its charming name, meaning ‘snow eggs’ (though it often goes by îles flottantes, ‘floating islands’). Then, one taste and I was mesmerised.

It is all about the celestial textures: silky custard, pillowy poached meringue and a crunch of caramelised sugar, which in my version comes in the form of sugared almonds.