Floating Caribbean Islands

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 cups cantaloupe cubes + 1/2 cup tiny cantaloupe balls (about 2 1/2-lb. melon)
• 2 small bananas, sliced
• 1 cup nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
• 3 large egg whites
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup granular sugar substitute
• 1/2 cup red raspberries
• 1/2 cup golden raspberries

Makes 4 Servings

1. Heat the oven to 275 F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast until golden, 4-5 minutes. Tranfer to a plate to cool.
2. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick foil and increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
3. In a blender, puree cubbed cantaloupe, bananas and yogurt until smooth; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and salt until  soft peaks form, 2-3 minutes. add sugar substitute and continue beating until stiff peaks form; fold in coconut. Spoon egg white mixture into 4 mounds on baking sheet. Bake until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Meringues should be slightly crisp and lightly browned on the outside.
5. Divide reserved fruit puree among 4 shallow bowls. Using a spatula, transfer meringue to the center of each bowl. Arrange a few cantaloupe balls and some raspberries decoratively around each meringue and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook. If you ever saw the movie 'Julie & Julia,' you may have seen Julie and Julia making and writing/blogging the recipes for floating islands. A Floating island is a French dessert that is made up of meringue "island" floating on a sea of sweet sauce. When baking meringues, make sure to use nonstick foil, parchment paper or even a silipat baking mat to ensure that the meringues will not stick. I LOVED this dessert! I loved how the fruity combinations of cantaloupe, banana and berries blended so well with the coconut meringues. One bute of this guilty pleasure and you'll feel like you're on an island in he Caribbean enjoying the sound and views of the beach. If you don't have golden raspberries, you can use any other berry and it will taste delicious. I highly recemmend serving this guilty pleasure for dessert for family and friends because it's a cool and refreshing way to end dinner.