Eton Mess Recipe

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This Eton mess recipe is so deliciously indulgent that it keeps you craving more! It's a gorgeous way to enjoy fresh summer fruit and makes an ideal treat or dessert during the warmer months.

So what exactly is Eton mess, you ask? Well, Eton mess is a traditional English dessert that is said to have originated at Eton College (an elite boarding school) and is served at its annual cricket match against Harrow School (another elite boarding school!).

And what's the secret that makes this Eton mess recipe so special? I use whipped mascarpone instead of cream! The tanginess of the mascarpone adds the extra wow factor that takes this dessert from good to great.

It's hard not to love a recipe that's easy but yields impressive results, and this Eton mess recipe is just one of those. Don't be put off by the multiple stages of the recipe, they're all really easy! You can make all the different parts in advance, leaving only the assembly, which is really quick.

Traditionally made with strawberries, Eton mess is really just an extension of strawberries and cream, with added meringue and fruit sauce. The contrast of the ripe summer strawberries with the pristine white meringue and luxurious cream is stunning. The inclusion of meringue in Eton mess makes it a texture lover's dream, simultaneously adding crispness and chewiness, completing the dessert.

I also love to make this Eton mess recipe with raspberries and swapping out the strawberry sauce for passion fruit. The tartness of passion fruit cuts through the sweetness of the cream and meringue beautifully. It's almost like a cross between an Eton mess and a pavlova, something of a...pavlova mess, if you will! Eton mess is totally customisable, and you can make it with any combination of fruit and sauce that you like.

For the meringue, I use little meringue kisses (because they're so cute) and assembled the dessert into individual Eton mess cups. But you could also make the meringue as one large piece and break it into smaller chunks when assembling your dessert. Luckily, Eton mess is one of those unstructured desserts that can be thrown together however you like, and its beauty lies in its imperfection. It is the imperfectly perfect dessert, so however you choose to assemble your Eton mess will be just right!

This Eton mess recipe is best assembled just before you plan to serve it, but you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge for two hours or so. The longer the assembled dessert is kept before serving, the more the meringue will absorb moisture from the cream and sauce and lose its crispness.

Other meringue recipes you might like:

• Italian Meringue
• Peppermint Meringue Kisses

Here's what you'll need to make this Eton mess recipe:
(Click here to jump straight to the recipe)

For the meringue kisses
1 egg white (from a large egg, ~40g)
80g caster sugar
16ml water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

For the strawberry sauce (optional)
200g fresh strawberries, with green tops removed
10g caster sugar, to taste

For the whipped mascarpone cream
250g mascarpone
20ml milk
20g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Eton mess
200g strawberries, green tops removed, OR raspberries
Pulp from a passion fruit (optional)

And here's what you'll need to do:

1.  Start by making the meringue kisses.

• Separate the egg, and place the white into a clean mixing bowl. Save the yolk for another recipe. Leave the egg white for about an hour to warm to room temperature.
• When you're ready to mix the meringue, preheat the oven to 120C (250F) / 100C Fan.
• Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and swirl together to wet the sugar.

• Whisk the egg white on low speed using an electric mixer until it becomes foamy, double in volume and form soft peaks.
• Simultaneously, cook the sugar and water together into a syrup until it boils clear. If you have a food thermometer, the sugar syrup should reach about 121C (250F) when it is done (you can turn off the heat just before it reaches temperature). Be VERY CAREFUL - boiling sugar is extremely hot!

• With the whisk still on at low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the egg white, keeping it near the edge of the bowl away from the mixing attachment so it doesn't splatter. Add a little at a time until all the sugar has been poured in.
• Turn the mixer up to medium, and continue whisking until the mixture cools to room temperature. Whisk in the salt and vanilla extract. The meringue is ready when it becomes thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks.

• Fill a piping bag with with the meringue mixture, massaging it a bit to get rid of any air bubbles.
• Snip the tip off the bag (about 2cm wide, you can also use a piping tip, if you like). Put a small dollop of meringue on each corner of the baking sheet, using it to hold down the sheet of parchment paper.

• Pipe the meringue into rows of kisses. They can be quite close together, as the kisses will not expand in the oven.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Then turn off the heat, and wedge the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the meringue in the oven to cool for another hour or until the oven is cold.

2.  Next, make the strawberry sauce.

• When the meringue is done baking, rinse the strawberries and remove the green tops.
• Blend the strawberries into a liquid using either a stand blender or handheld immersion blender.

• Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan, and add the sugar (adjust to taste, if your strawberries don't have much flavour, you may need to use more sugar).
• Simmer gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid slightly thickened. Set it aside to cool, bearing in mind that it will thicken further when it cools, and you want the sauce to keep a nice and smooth liquid consistency for drizzling.

3.  Then, make the whipped mascarpone.

• Whilst the strawberry sauce is cooling, put the mascarpone into a medium mixing bowl.
• Add the milk, and whisk briefly with a balloon whisk to loosen.
• Sift the icing sugar into the bowl, and whisk together to combine.

• Add the vanilla extract, and whisk again.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a soft spatula.
• Store the cream, covered, in the fridge until ready to use. Remove from fridge 5-10 minutes before using, whipping it quickly to refresh.

4.  Finally, assemble the Eton mess.

• When the meringue has cooled, wipe the strawberries (or raspberries) clean with a damp piece of kitchen paper, and slice.
• Fill a glass tumbler or dessert coupe with a few kisses.
• Add a layer of cream, and drizzle some strawberry sauce (or passion fruit pulp) over it.
• Then add a layer of fresh strawberries (or raspberries), followed by more meringue kisses.
• Repeat the layers until the glass is full, finishing with a meringue kiss, piece of fruit or small sprig of mint on top to garnish.

• Serve at your next summer party, or simply enjoy as an indulgent afternoon treat.

Eton Mess Recipe

By Wendy | Serves 4

Here's a simple Eton Mess recipe for making the most beautifully gorgeous summer dessert cups.

Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes, plus cooling time for the meringue
Assembly time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Course: Dessert, Treat
Cuisine: Modern British
Tags: Meringue, SummerDessert

Ingredients

For the meringue kisses
1 egg white (from a large egg, ~40g)
80g caster sugar
16ml water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

For the strawberry sauce (optional)
200g fresh strawberries, with green tops removed
10g caster sugar, to taste

For the whipped mascarpone cream
250g mascarpone
20ml milk
20g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the Eton mess
200g strawberries, green tops removed, OR raspberries
Pulp from a passion fruit (optional)

Method

Start by making the meringue kisses.

1. Separate the egg, and place the white into a clean mixing bowl. Save the yolk for another recipe. Leave the egg white for about an hour to warm to room temperature.
2. When you're ready to mix the meringue, preheat the oven to 120C (250F) / 100C Fan.
3. Put the sugar and water in a small saucepan, and swirl together to wet the sugar.
4. Whisk the egg white on low speed using an electric mixer until it becomes foamy, double in volume and form soft peaks.
5. Simultaneously, cook the sugar and water together into a syrup until it boils clear. If you have a food thermometer, the sugar syrup should reach about 121C (250F) when it is done (you can turn off the heat just before it reaches temperature). Be VERY CAREFUL - boiling sugar is extremely hot!
6. With the whisk still on at low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup in a thin stream into the egg white, keeping it near the edge of the bowl away from the mixing attachment so it doesn't splatter. Add a little at a time until all the sugar has been poured in.
7. Turn the mixer up to medium, and continue whisking until the mixture cools to room temperature. Whisk in the salt and vanilla extract. The meringue is ready when it becomes thick and glossy and forms stiff peaks.
8. Fill a piping bag with with the meringue mixture, massaging it a bit to get rid of any air bubbles.
9. Snip the tip off the bag (about 2cm wide, you can also use a piping tip, if you like). Put a small dollop of meringue on each corner of the baking sheet, using it to hold down the sheet of parchment paper.
10. Pipe the meringue into rows of kisses. They can be quite close together, as the kisses will not expand in the oven.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. Then turn off the heat, and wedge the oven door open with a wooden spoon. Leave the meringue in the oven to cool for another hour or until the oven is cold.

Next, make the strawberry sauce.

12. When the meringue is done baking, rinse the strawberries and remove the green tops.
13. Blend the strawberries into a liquid using either a stand blender or handheld immersion blender.
14. Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan, and add the sugar (adjust to taste, if your strawberries don't have much flavour, you may need to use more sugar).
15. Simmer gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid slightly thickened. Set it aside to cool, bearing in mind that it will thicken further when it cools, and you want the sauce to keep a nice and smooth liquid consistency for drizzling.

Then, make the whipped mascarpone cream.

16. Whilst the strawberry sauce is cooling, put the mascarpone into a medium mixing bowl.
17. Add the milk, and whisk briefly with a balloon whisk to loosen.
18. Sift the icing sugar into the bowl, and whisk together to combine.
19. Add the vanilla extract, and whisk again.
20. Scrape down the sides of the bowl using a soft spatula.
21. Store the cream, covered, in the fridge until ready to use. Remove from fridge 5-10 minutes before using, whipping it quickly to refresh.

Finally, assemble the Eton mess.

22. When the meringue has cooled, wipe the strawberries (or raspberries) clean with a damp piece of kitchen paper, and slice.
23. Fill a glass tumbler or dessert coupe with a few kisses.
24. Add a layer of cream, and drizzle some strawberry sauce (or passion fruit pulp) over it.
25. Then add a layer of fresh strawberries (or raspberries), followed by more meringue kisses.
26. Repeat the layers until the glass is full, finishing with a meringue kiss, piece of fruit or small sprig of mint on top to garnish.
27. Serve at your next summer party, or simply enjoy as an indulgent afternoon treat.

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