Eton Mess
Variations on a classic
Eton Mess is a great dessert, once you try a spoon of it you can’t stop eating it. Simplicity personified, it is essentially fresh strawberries, crushed meringue and whipped cream. Variations abound, some add kirsch, strawberry puree, creme fraiche etc, etc, doesn’t matter really, it is the sort of dessert I like, forget the measurements and go by instinct.
Eton Mess proper is made with strawberries, meringue and cream and was originally (and continues to be) served at Eton College, England at their annual prize giving on the fourth of June.
This is a great ‘quick fix’ dessert, we make our own meringue, you don’t need to bother (if you want to then let me know, I’ll post a recipe) Buy some ready made meringue and break it up into loose pieces in a bowl. Wash some strawberries, take the tops off and cut them into sensible pieces. We soak our strawberries in a stock syrup solution to both preserve and make a syrup to add to the meringue, you could buy some strawberry sauce if you can’t be bothered or don’t have the time.
Whip up a bit of cream and sugar to taste, don’t over or under whip, we want the cream to bind everything together so add a bit at a time. Fold the cream and meringue together then introduce the fruit and syrup, the whole thing should be marbled with the red of the fruits and the bright white of the meringue and cream in a glass or bowl.
For a restaurant dessert it is a little too simplistic so we have incorporated it into another preperation. The dessert below is a passion fruit mousse served as a ‘cannelloni’ by being wrapped in wafer thin slices of marinated pineapple. We serve it with a fresh basil ice cream and the minature Eton Mess.
Try other fruits with your meringue and cream, keep an eye on the season please, red fruits are particularly good.
Miles,
This dessert wouldn’t look out of place in the jewellers I swanned into today… stunning. I reckon I could have a go at all of that although mine would look like a real ‘mess’! My attempts at pud might be less of a disappointment if I stuck to the suet variety although my heart lies with a spun sugar concoction and a ball of basil icecream…
Cid
October 6, 2007 @ 7:30 pm
Thanks Cid!,
The idea behind this type of post is to show how some restaurant preperations can be done at home. I cannot abide cookery books which contain recipes aimed and suited for chefs but marketed for the general public. Much of what I do in my kitchen at work I would never attempt to do at home, it’s just not practical. Hence the reason I suggest buying puff pastry, meringues etc. There are people who will have a go at this for themselves and for them I will happily post a recipe/method but for everyone else I shall try and remain as practical as possible.
Miles
October 6, 2007 @ 10:35 pm
Miles,
I have heard of Eton Mess recently for the first time and wondered whether or not is was enjoying a revival?
I shall certainly try this one and many thanks for your down to earth recipes, much appreciated.
In the meantime I am wondering about basil ice cream and can’t quite imagine it, yet.
October 8, 2007 @ 8:28 pm
Christine,
Basil ice cream is much nicer than you might think, a brilliant green colour and very refreshing. Sometimes a dessert can be overly sweet and needs something to balance it all out. That said, Genoese basil is quite sweet and it is infused into a sugared ice cream solution so it’s not exactly Heston’s bacon and egg concotion!
Miles
October 8, 2007 @ 10:03 pm