How to make a beautiful Eton Mess!
Love this beautiful Eton Mess. Crunchy meringue pieces layered with lemon curd, fresh berries and whipped cream - like a deconstructed strawberry shortcake with meringue instead of sponge. And it looks and tastes simply divine. If you wanna make a mess, make a beautiful Eton Mess!
Servings: 5 whole meringues
Ingredients
Meringue
- 2 egg whites @room temperature
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Toppings
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, freshly whipped
- Lemon curd
- A handful of strawberries and blackberries
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 120C
- Separate the eggs when cold and let the whites sit out till room temperature
- Add the salt to the egg whites and whisk on medium until foamy soft peaks.
- Thereafter, gradually add 1/4 cup granulated sugar whilst continuing to whisk the meringue.
- Once the sugar is added, switch on high and whisk till the meringue is thick and gleaming with stiff peaks.
- Add in 1 tsp of cornstarch and gently fold in with a spatula until just combined.
- Drop meringue rounds (~7cm wide) on baking parchment.
- Bake at 120C for an hour until the meringue is lightly golden and crisp and lifts off the parchment easily.
Assembly
- Break the meringue into large pieces and drop it in a wine glass. Add layers of whipped cream, lemon curd and fresh berries. Repeat the layering until the glass is filled up. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Fresh fruits
Fresh fruit is the foundation of this dessert. Eton Mess typically uses strawberries and I like to toss in other berries that are in season as they are great tasting with freshly whipped cream and lemon curd.
But why stop at berries? Passionfruit, pomegranate, even dragon fruit are wonderful options. A variety of fresh fruit makes for such a lovely colour palette, don’t you think? So keep them fresh and toss in your preference.
Meringue
Eton Mess is such an easy dessert to throw together, especially when you can get hold of pre-made meringues from the supermarket. However, it’s not easily available in my part of the world so I usually make my own.
The meringue is easy to whip up and this is a forgiving recipe since you smash and break the meringue into bits once it’s baked. The basic rule is to separate your whites well and make sure to use clean equipment.
Bake the meringues till golden and the meringues will be crisp and crunchy with just a tinge of soft marshmallow chewiness. For more tips, check out how to make a perfect meringue in my Meringue Cookie aka Forgotten Cookies post.
Lemon Curd
The lemon curd is optional but if you can, don’t skip it.
IMHO, it gives that full-bodied zest and tartness which really notches up the 'mess' of meringue, fresh berries and cream. The delicious, creamy lemon curd makes this Eton Mess subtly tangy and perfectly tart!
Homemade Lemon Curd is easy to make. 4 ingredients and 10 minutes on the stove and suddenly you have luscious creamy lemon heaven in a jar. Check out the lemon curd recipe or click the recipe vid below and check out just how easy it is to make.
#3 Storage
The meringue stores well for 3-4 days, well-sealed in an airtight container. Meringue tends to attract moisture and may become soft and sticky after some time. To crisp, bake it in a hot oven for 5 minutes, then switch off the heat and leave for another 10-15 minutes for the moisture to dry out. And voila, it’ll be all ready to be ‘messed up’!