Eton mess

wallbash

You have just got time to make your own meringue'

http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/eggs/how-to-make-meringues.html





Don't often venture to this thread. But I made my first meringue tonight .
Its cooling in the oven as I type.
Will be using it at dinner party Friday. Am filling it with fresh raspberries.
What other fruit goes with the raspberries , not strawberries , I want some different.

Ps if I can follow Delilah anyone can.

freyasmum

It's really simple and incredibly delicous and moreish.

I use:
- A big pot of double cream, whipped to soft peaks,
- A pack of meringues (normally I make meringues as I like them more mallowy rather than dried out, but I buy them for eton mess),
- 1 1/2 -2 packs of strawberries, halfed or quartered, depends on size.
- I also add rosewater, to taste. Generally around 2-3 tbsps.

Break up the meringues, and stir into the cream (if using rosewater add to cream before meringues) and then fold the strawberries in. Spoon into bowls/glasses and you can top with some more strawberries if you like.

It's really sickening, so it feeds quite a few

parsonswife8

My Eton Mess recipe is similar to Freyasmum. Don't assemble the pud too soon, as I found out one Christmas and found that the meringues went all soft and virtually disintergrated.
Prepare the cream and the strawberries and it takes a minute to break the meringues up and combine the lot.
Yum.:rotfl:

Stephen_Leak

In a word, yes ...

ETON MESS

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

450g of fresh strawberries
250ml of double cream
250g of meringue
1 tablespoon of white sugar

METHOD

Wash the strawberries, remove any stalks and chop them into quarters. Break or chop the meringue into rough 2cm (1 inch) pieces.

Pour the cream into a bowl. Lightly whip the cream. Don’t over-do it: it should still be pourable.

Add the meringue pieces, strawberries and sugar. Gently mix together and serve.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use ready-made meringue, especially if it’s broken and reduced in price.

If you make your own meringue, this is the dish to practice with. If they weep, crack or even collapse, you can still use them in this. However, you do have to make it a day in advance.

For the romantic version, top with a large whole strawberry and offer this to your partner.

Authentic Eton mess uses strawberries, but other summer fruits work well.

Even Heston Blumenthal has had to concede that Eton mess is "quite simply impossible to improve upon".

HISTORICAL NOTES

Eton mess originated at Eton College in the 1930’s, when a mixture of either strawberries or bananas with cream or ice cream, all stirred together (hence the name "mess"), was served in the school’s "sock shop" (tuck shop). One anecdotal story is that the dessert was ‘invented’ by a Labrador dog, when it sat on a picnic basket in the back of a car. With the later addition of the meringue, it has evolved into the unashamedly wicked, yet still quintessentially English, summer dessert. It is traditionally served at Eton College's annual prize-giving celebration picnic on what is still called the "Fourth of June", despite actually taking place on the last Wednesday in May.

Mupette

I love making this but use various fruit, what ever i have left over

The usual whip of double cream
had a cheap pack of meringues, crushed box so was about 20p at sainsburys cheap shelf
i have used, strawberry's, raspberry's even with banana.. (banana is nice in it)
never used vinegar.

raphanius

I loooove eton mess and i make the strawberry version as above just double cream, meringues and strawberries but if you want something a bit more lush try this banoffee mess from ch4s come dine with me.

cherydee

Thanks all for the help, it seems quite easy to do now. Will let you know later today how it has turned out.

Trow

Mupette wrote: »

never used vinegar.

I've never used frozen peas either.... well, not in eton mess

Are there any other random ingredients you haven't used?

wallbash

Ok Trow , time to eat humble pie

Vinegar can /is ?? used sometimes in making meringues, basis of an Eaton mess .

Ps My meringue came out of the oven this morning looking great. So I WON'T be making an Eaton mess, it will become a pavlova :rotfl:

Trow

Yes, I know vinegar can be used to make meringue - but Mupette was talking about using a box of shop-bought meringue..