One of the best things about summer in Europe is without a doubt the berries and stone fruits. I can alternate berries and stone fruits all summer long and not feel the need to eat anything else.
From my visit to the farm over the weekend, I got a punnet of strawberries and raspberries each. The raspberry bushes at the farm were especially lush. I stuffed my face with as many as I could as I picked along; two for my mouth, one for the basket. I’ve added raspberries in my recipe, even if it means moving away from the classical Eton mess with strawberries alone (incidentally, Eton mess purists claim that the original recipe called for bananas, not strawberries). My little tweak involved fork-mushed raspberries swirled into the Eton mess. (If you don’t have raspberries at hand, you could even thin down a little raspberry jam – easy!)
Meringues are a cinch to make. And it’s possibly the easiest recipe you will ever know. I’m not just saying that – we made it in our second class in Basic Patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. Sugar : egg whites is always 2:1. Whip the sugar and egg whites up over a water bath until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are slightly warm to the touch. Continue to whisk in the KitchenAid right after (or with electric beaters). This one’s the Swiss method of making the meringue.
Strawberries + vanilla cream + crunchy, chewy meringue – you really don’t need me extolling this dessert anymore.
Strawberry + Raspberry Eton Mess
Serves: 6
Fruits
Strawberries, hulled, halved and sliced
Raspberries, mushed up with a fork in a bowl
Mix the berries together in a bowl. Refrigerate.
Cream
Vanilla
Whipping Cream
1-2 tsp sugar
Split and scrape the vanilla bean innards and rub them together with the sugar in a bowl so that the vanilla is evenly dispersed. If you don’t do this, you’ll find the seeds clump up together and that doesn’t look very nice.
Next, pour the cream into the bowl and whip until it forms firm peaks. Refrigerate.
Meringue
120g egg whites
240g caster sugar
Stir the sugar and egg whites together in a heat proof bowl over a bain marie. When it’s warm to the touch, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe with a 12-14mm piping tube (or simply snip off the plastic bag) to a length of 5-6 cms (keep it even, so they all bake at the same rate). Bake in a preheated oven at 100ºC for 30 minutes.
Assemble the Eton mess
You can make individual servings or assemble it in a large bowl for everyone to share. Start with crushed up meringue, then spoon over the vanilla cream and swirl the berries into the cream gently – not too much or you might lose the ripple effect. Layer it again in the same fashion. And finally, scatter the top with crushed meringues and garnish with mint leaf.
PS: If you have the time, steep the cream with mint leaves, chill, then whip it up. Mint cream + strawberries is a heady mix.