Eton Mess is such a simple summer dish, and with such a great selection of fruit available at the moment, you can really go to town if you feel like pushing beyond the typical strawberry mix. You can make your own meringues, but we have a couple of meringue options if you want to save time.
Our local meringues are made by Bosham-based Farmhouse cookery. They do spectacular pavlova bases and mini hazelnut meringues and these are even better than homemade, providing the perfect combination of a crispy exterior and a chewy, giving interior. We then have the brightly coloured Flower & White Meringues, available as large Swiss meringues, or individual bites. They aren’t quite as chewy as the Farmhouse Cookery ones, but the colour combinations give a great visual impact to your puds.
For a good traditional Eton Mess made from scratch, you will need the following:
Ingredients:
- 6oz golden caster sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1lb strawberries
- 1tbsp unrefined icing sugar
- 1 pint double cream
Method:
To make meringues (or buy off the shelf)
- Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the caster sugar gradually and continue to whisk until thoroughly mixed.
- Place rounded spoonfuls of the mixture on a lined baking tray and bake for an hour at 275°F. Leave the meringues to dry out overnight.
For the mess
- Chop half the strawberries and put them in a blender with the icing sugar. Blend until smooth and sieve to remove the seeds.
- Chop & destalk the rest of the strawberries and whip the double cream. Break up the meringues into about bite-sized chunks, place in a mixing bowl, add the strawberries and fold the cream in around them.
- Gently fold in all but 2tbsp of the strawberry puree to give a marbled effect. Place the mixture in a serving dish and spoon the rest of the puree over the top.
- Serve immediately