Oeufs a La Neige with Caramel Foam

Separate the eggs and set the yolks aside. Put egg whites into a copper bowl, if you have one, but any large bowl will do. Feel free to use a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, if you like. Beat eggs with a large balloon whisk, if you have one, but any whisk will work, or in the machine until foamy. Add salt and keep beating as it turned fluffy. Keep beating until firm peaks form - when you lift the whisk or beaters out of the egg whites the peak that forms should droop a bit, but then stay put.

Fold in 1/4 cup of the sugar, incorporating 1 tablespoon at a time. Then fold in 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla.

Put 2 1/2 cups milk and 1/4 cup sugar in a wide pot or sauté pan. Heat the milk to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally to help the sugar melt.

Use two large spoons to form football-shaped dumplings of the egg whites, scooping the mixture with one spoon and shaping it in that spoon with the other spoon. Then use the free spoon to help ease the meringue into the simmering milk. Do as many meringues as fit without crowding or touching too much in the pan. Cook, turning over once, until meringues are firm, about 2 minutes each side. When the meringues are cooked, lift them out of the milk with a slotted spoon and drain them on a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining egg white mixture. When all meringues are cooked. Strain the poaching milk through a fine mesh sieve. Add enough more milk to equal 2 cups, if necessary.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until lighter yellow and thick. Keep whisking as you pour the milk mixture, which will still be very warm, into the egg yolks. (Constant whisking will keep the yolks from curdling. ) Transfer this mixture to a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring pretty much constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon and show the path where your finger runs to have a taste. Stir in remaining the remaining teaspoon of vanilla. Strain custard sauce, if you like.

To begin assembling the dish put about a sixth of the sauce in a bowl and float three meringues on top of each serving. Set aside.

Next make the caramel foam. In small saucepan, heat sugar and 2.5 ounces of water over medium heat to 340 °F. Remove from heat and immediately add remaining 4.5 ounces water and simple syrup. Be careful as this mixture will bubble and splatter. Whisk until dissolved and pour into tall, narrow container and let cool to warm then add lecithin powder.

Remove the dispenser from the box including the charger holder and two dispenser tips. Unscrew the top off the dispenser, then screw on the tip of your choice (straight or tulip) while holding in place the valve stem under the cap. Be sure to screw the tip on tightly. Make sure that the gasket (also called the O-ring) is firmly in place on the underside of the head.

Pour the foam liquid mixture it into the dispenser. Do not exceed recommended amount. Screw the top evenly and firmly onto the bottle. Do not cross-thread. Place a n2o cartridge in the holder with the small end visible. Twist charger holder onto head until gas is released. A slight hissing sound will be heard. For a pint dispenser, use only one charger per filling. For a quart dispenser, use two chargers per filling. Put the siphon in the fridge to cool it for 30 minutes.

Shake the dispenser 3-6 times. Turn the dispenser upside down. This is important, otherwise gas will escape and a proportionate amount of foam will not be released. To finish assembling the dessert dispense foam onto the meringues as needed by pressing on the lever, and top with toasted slivered almonds. If the mixture is too runny, shake the dispenser a few more times and try again. If desired, the holder can be removed along with the used charger and the small cap put in its place.