Eton Mess
Could it be? Something from Eton College that is tolerable? Say it ain’t so! Rumour has it this messy mix of meringue, cream and strawberries is a happy accident from the 19th century. Speaking of messy accidents at Eton…
Eton Mess is a super sweet dessert that tastes of summer in England. Make a big bowl for your party!
WE MADE THIS!
You can prepare the separate elements in the 2 days before your party but it’s best to serve immediately after you mix them all – you don’t want your meringue to turn to mush.
If strawberries & cream don’t cut it for you, there are other variations to try down below.
www.deliaonline.com
We’re 90s kids, so we headed straight to Delia for tips on making this classic dessert. Meringue making is definitely not our strong point but these turned out good enough to smash up and hide in cream.
TIME: 1HR 10mins + cooling time / Best eaten fresh
ingredients
- 175g caster sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 450g fresh strawberries
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 570ml double cream
METHOD
1.
Pre-heat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2.
Make sure the bowl is really clean then add the egg whites. Whisk until they form soft peaks. Add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time and whisk until thoroughly mixed in.
3.
Put rounded dessertspoonfuls of the meringue mixture onto the baking tray. Turn the oven down to 140°C and bake the meringues for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues in there until completely cold.
4.
Chop 200g strawberries and blitz in a blender with the icing sugar, then pour the sauce through a sieve to remove any seeds.
5. Assembly!
Chop up the remaining strawberries and place into a big bowl. Next, use your fingers to break the meringues into 2-3cm chunks and add to the bowl. You can keep some small crunchy bits to one side to sprinkle over at the end.
Whip the double cream until soft peaks form, then fold around the strawberries. Then gently fold in 2 tbsp of the strawberry sauce to create a marbled effect.
6.
To serve, spoon the mixture into individual glasses or bowls. Drizzle with more strawberry sauce or sprinkle with the small meringue pieces if you fancy.
MORE LINKS
www.diabetes.org.uk
Diabetes UK offers up this ‘raspberry shortbread mess’ for a more balanced dessert, using shortbread fingers and greek yoghurt for the cream & crunch. This is easy to make and a great alternative!
maverickbaking.com
In this recipe for Banoffee Mess, Kelly is “disgracefully combining all the best parts of an Eton Mess with those of a Banoffee Pie”. Disgraceful. We love it.
www.lazycatkitchen.com
There’s quite the harrowing tale before you get to the Vegan Eton Mess recipe but like seeing the phrase “bloody Tories!!” alongside an Eton Mess recipe. Plus it sounds delicious!