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Two jars of Eton mess with fresh strawberries on the side.

Eton mess

Author: Sarah Brooks
The classic Eton mess is a delicious summery British dessert made with fresh strawberries, whipped cream and crunchy meringues.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine British
Servings 8 individual serves, approx.
Calories 288 kcal

Equipment

  • Electric hand beaters or stand mixer

Ingredients

Meringues

  • 3 egg whites from large eggs
  • ½ cup (110gms) white sugar
  • ¼ tea spoon cream of tartar

Other ingredients

  • 3 cups (750gms) ripe strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar for strawberry sauce
  • 1 and ½ cups (375mls) thickened cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup (125mls) sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar for cream
  • ½ cup ripe raspberries

Instructions
 

  • Make the meringues first, then make the rest of the dessert

To make the meringues

  • Pre heat your oven to 176°F (80°C) (fan forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • Separate the eggs and put the yolks aside for another recipe, such as one of my delicious ice creams.
  • Whip the egg whites using electric hand beaters or a stand mixer until soft peaks start to form. Add the sugar, about a third at a time, mixing well in between each addition.
  • Once the sugar is all mixed in add the cream of tartar and mix well.
  • Spoon mix onto baking paper in large dollops and spread out a little.
  • Bake in the oven for two hours. Meringues should be crisp on the outside and make a hollow sound when tapped. Return to oven, turn off oven and allow meringues to cool completely in oven for maximum crispness.
  • Remove from try and store in an airtight container lined with baking paper until you make the rest of your Eaton mess.

To make the Eaton mess

  • Hull the strawberries and cut into quarters.
  • Take one cup of strawberries and blitz in a food processor until smooth. Add one table spoon of sugar and mix well.
  • In a separate bowl. add the vanilla to the cream and whip with an electric hand beaters or stand mixer or until soft peaks form.
  • Add the sugar to the cream. Measure the sour cream and stir well to loosen up, then gently fold sugar and sour cream into whipped cream.
  • Get your four elements ready to assemble the dessert, cream mix, broken up meringues, strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries.
  • Put a third of your chopped strawberries in the bottom of a large serving bowl or individual glasses. Top half the cream mix.
  • Add a third of the strawberries on top of the cream. Drizzle with half the strawberry sauce. Break apart and scatter over half the meringues.
  • Add the second half of the cream mix. Top with remaining strawberries, strawberry sauce and broken up meringues.
  • Serve immediately, dig in and enjoy!

Notes

Eton mess is very adaptable.
I used traditional strawberries here but you can use whatever summer berries you like or even mix things up with some luscious summer stone fruit.
If you don't have time to make your own meringues you can skip this step and use store bough instead, in which case you could have this delicious dessert on the table in just 20 minutes.  

Nutrition

Calories: 288kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 4gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 36mgPotassium: 243mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 757IUVitamin C: 55mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 0.5mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.

Keywords: Eaton mess, traditional Eton mess
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