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Eton Mess

Introduction & method

Eton mess originated at the ultra-posh Eton College. Nobody seems too sure about the origin of the 'mess' part of it, but that can be what it looks like. It is not an elegant dish!

 Eton Mess Recipe

Meringues


If you don't want to make meringues you can buy ready-made meringue nests and skip this step. Heat your oven to 130°C (266°F) fan, 150°C (302°F) conventional, gas 2. Separate your eggs, being very careful not to get any yolk in with the eggwhites. Using a stand mixer or electric hand whisk, whizz the whites until you get soft peaks, then whisk in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time until it's all mixed in. Continue whisking until you get stiff peaks, white and glossy. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and spoon dollops of the egg white mix onto the paper. You don't need to pipe them or make them pretty because they're going to get smashed to bits at the end. Bake the meringues for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave the oven door slightly ajar. Remove the meringues after one hour and leave them to cool to room temperature.

Macerate the Fruit


Hull the strawberries and cut them in half. Reserve about 6 for garnish. Place the rest of them in a bowl and stir in 2 tbsps of caster sugar. Leave alone for about half an hour before use.

Assemble the Eton Mess


If you're using cream, you'll need to whip it to soft peaks. If using yogurt, there's no need to whip it. Mix in the macerated strawberries and 3-4 of the crushed meringue blobs. Note that the meringue will dissolve in a few hours, so don't make this too far ahead.

Serve the Eton Mess


Place 2-3 tablespoons of mess into bowl or glass and garnish with a bit more meringue and some of the reserved fruit.


The video above is from the Keef Cooks YouTube channel. Click here to see the video recipe of Eton Mess on YouTube.

 
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Ingredients & Info


MERINGUE
 3 egg whites
 150 grams caster (powdered) sugar
MESS
 300 ml double (heavy) cream or Greek yogurt
 300 grams strawberries
 2 tbsp caster (powdered) sugar

PLUS

While strawberries are the traditional fruit, this works just as well with raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or cherries - or a mixture depending on what's available.


UNITS:
Metric
US Customary/Imperial

Serves 4 
Prep time: 20 minutes.
Meringue cooling time: 2 hours.
Cooking time: 1 hour.
Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes.