This easy traditional British dessert has three main components, a macerated strawberries sauce, whipped cream, and meringue cookies. I also add in some fresh cut strawberries to give the Eton Mess a little more texture, along with the macerated strawberry sauce. This recipe gives instructions on making the meringue cookies but feel free to just use store bought meringue cookies as an easy shortcut.
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword meringue, strawberries, whipped cream
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour
Servings 6
Calories 256kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
Meringue cookies
2large egg whites
1/8teaspooncream of tartar
1/2cupwhite sugar100 g
Strawberry Sauce
1/2poundstrawberries227 g
2tablespoonswhite sugaror more if the strawberries aren’t very sweet
1teaspoonbalsamic vinegar
Whipped cream
2cupcold heavy cream1 pint
2tablespoonspowdered sugar
1teaspoonvanilla extract
To assemble
1/2poundstrawberrieshulled and sliced, 227 g
Instructions
Make the meringue cookies by first preheating the oven to 200°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer fitted with a wire whisk attachment and whip the whites on medium fast speed until soft peaks form. Reduce the mixer to medium speed and slowly sprinkle in the sugar until it is incorporated, and the meringue is shiny and reaches stiff peaks.Spoon the meringue into 1-inch wide dollops on the parchment paper, or place the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe the meringue into 1-inch dollops. Bake in the oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the meringue cookies are dry and crispy. Set aside to cool.Alternatively use 5-ounces of store-bought meringue cookies instead of making your own.
Make the strawberry sauce by first cutting the greens off the strawberries and discarding them. Then quarter or dice the strawberries. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the sugar over the mashed strawberries and add the balsamic vinegar. Taste and if the strawberries aren’t sweet enough for your preference, add a tablespoon more of sugar. Keep in mind that meringue will add sweetness to the final dessert.
Make the whipped cream by placing the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk. Whisk on medium fast speed until soft peaks form.
Set aside 6 nice looking meringue cookies to use as garnish. Then lightly crush the other meringue cookies and fold in about 2/3 of the crushed meringue into the whipped cream.(Note: I used strawberry flavored meringues in the photo, which is why they look pink. But plain meringues are just as good.)
Assemble the Eton Mess by layering the whipped cream, strawberry sauce, sliced strawberries and the rest of the crushed meringues bits together, repeating as necessary in a glass bowl or a double old-fashioned glass, creating layers of the whipped cream and the strawberries. Garnish each Eton Mess with the reserved meringue cookies and serve immediately.