Eton Mess - Strawberries with Whipped Cream and Crushed Meringue
A fabulously divine crunchy, smooth and creamy dessert packed full of summer strawberries. Traditionally eaten on June 4th at Eton College, England where the dessert was first invented.
To make a 10 minute version - buy your meringues in and add double chopped strawberries and don’t bother making the sauce.
Preparation time: 30 minutes (or 10) Quantity: Serves 5 - 6 Cooking time: Meringues - up to 5 hours -slow cooking
Ingredients
Meringues -
3 egg whites - medium or large
100g / 4 oz caster sugar
Strawberry Sauce -
150g / 5 oz fresh strawberries
30g / 1 oz cater sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
30 ml / 1 tablespoon water
Strawberries -
150g / 5 oz fresh strawberries
Whipped Cream -
approx. 280 ml / 10 fl oz double cream or whipping
1 teaspoon caster sugar
Variations -
Use other fruits instead of strawberries - raspberries work well.
Add a tot of alcohol to the mix like strawberry liquor or port or sherry or chilli vodka!
or
Try adding coconut to the traditional Eton Mess, either add 30g of toasted dried coconut shavings and 3 tablespoons coconut cream or 30 ml / 2 tablespoons coconut liquor
Method
To make the meringues -
- Whip up the egg whites with half of the sugar until nearly whipped then
- Add the remaining sugar, continue until the whites are firm / stiff and hold in the bowl when you turn it upside down (preferably over your head for effect)
- Tip - make sure the egg whites have no egg yolk in them and the whisk and bowl are clean and dry
- Spoon heaps on to a greased sheet of greaseproof paper on a tray
- Place in a preheated oven, lowest setting approx. 80*c / gas 1/2 for - 4 - 5 hours until dried out and crisp
- Tip - Pre-make the meringues up to 3 days before needed
To make the strawberry sauce -
- Simply chop the hulled strawberries
- Add all the ingredients to a saucepan
- Hard simmer for 5 minutes
- Blend/ whizz / liquidise until smooth (if you haven't got a wizzer simply push through a sieve)
Cool
When ready to serve -
- In a big bowl - whip up the cream with the sugar until lightly whipped but not loose - with a little hold!
- Chop up the remaining strawberries, petite pois sized pieces
- Stir the strawberries and half of the strawberry sauce in to the cream
- Roughly crush / break up the meringues in to the cream mix
- Mix until roughly mixed, you want messiness
- Either serve straight in to glasses or in a large trifle style bowl - either way pour half of the remaining sauce in to the bottom of the serving dish, spoon on the Eton Mess and pour the remaining sauce on top
- Serve