Serves: 4 – 6
Cost: ~€5, depending on the season
Preparation time: ~15 minutes
Calories: ~400 per serving
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #0B0B61;”]I’m sorry to say that this dish is a bit of a mess. Ha, no, I’m just kidding – despite the title, that’s actually the official name of the dish, which always makes for an entertaining time when trying to explain the dessert to non-native English speakers! It’s unknown whether the “mess” part of the title refers to the appearance of the dish, or the not-so-oft-used word “mess” meaning “a quantity of food”. Regardless of this confusing nomenclature, the dish dates back to at least the 19th century, and is nowadays traditionally served each year at Eton College‘s annual cricket match against the students of Winchester College. What better way to settle some sporting differences than a nice bowl of dessert, right?
Regardless of its origin, the dish is fantastically simple to make, and can be whipped up in next to no time. I must admit that I cheated somewhat. I usually prefer to make my own meringues, but I’d promised to make the dessert for a dinner party at a friend’s house and we didn’t arrive back home from the dog-shelter, where we’ve been volunteering, until really quite late. There is a bakery near me which sells very good meringue – I mean, how difficult can decent meringue be to make? You’d think not so hard, right? It’s just sugar and egg white…! Well, you’d be wrong. I don’t know what some stores do to their meringues but they don’t taste anything like egg-whites and sugar… more like plaster or dry-wall :D. Anyway – I picked up two hefty meringue slabs and some berries which they’ve started getting in stores and scurried on home and set to work! If you wait to make this until the berries are a bit more seasonal, and make the meringue yourself, you’ll find the dish a lot friendlier on the pocket, although even in this season it’s hardly bank-breaking.
The ingredients list below is a guideline only – the dish pretty much makes itself; it’s virtually impossible to fail at it. Strawberries are believed to be the most traditional fruit, but you can really add any summer fruit you fancy. As with a number of old-school English recipes, it doesn’t seem the most healthy of dishes, but it’s indulgent and delicious, and perfect with a glass of chilled chardonnay on a hot summer’s day.
Enjoy the mess everyone! I hope you’ve all been having a fruitful weekend (ha, see what I did there?) and will have an enjoyable Sunday. I’m making something British (sort of… we kind of stole it from someone else! :D) for brunch this morning which I’ll be posting about in the week! Take care and have a great week!
Summer Fruits Eton Mess
[learn_more caption=”Video Recipe”]
Ingredients
- ~100g Meringue
- ~10 Strawberries
- ~30 Raspberries
- ~30 Blueberries
- ~400ml Whipping Cream
You’ll also need
- A hand blender
Instructions
- Start off by whipping the cream until quite stiff. Of course, you don’t want it to turn into butter but a firm whip will help the dessert keep its shape and look more appealing later.
- Next, crumble or cut the meringue up into small, bite-sized chunks.
- Transfer the meringue pieces to the bowl with the cream and then prepare the fruit. Set aside one or two strawberries, a few raspberries and blueberries and add the rest of the raspberries and blueberries whole to the bowl with the meringue and cream. Trim the strawberries and slice up into “blueberry sized” pieces and add them into the bowl as well.
- Using the hand blender, blend the fruit which you have set aside in the previous step in a small bowl until you have a rich, quite smooth purée.
- Mix the cream, fruit and meringue well together in a bowl. Just before serving, pour the fruit purée over the top and stir a couple of times to create a swirl effect. Served immediate while the meringue is still crispy and enjoy!
Yum, yum yum. One of my favourites, best enjoyed eating a generous bowlful sat outside on a warm summer’s evening with lashings of cups of tea-although I wouldn’t turn down a chilled glass of Chardonnay…
Thanks Dragonette – your imagery makes me long for summer – the weather has turned chilly here again after some lovely days… bah 🙁
messy food is a sign of delicious food, because that means people actually dig in happily(: I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but meringues are one of those things i just can’t get myself to like. that, and macaroons, even though they seem to be very much in fashion now. but whipped cream and fresh berries sound gorgeous to me though!
Hi Shuhan – I can’t imagine not liking meringue… did you ever have (or try) a pavlova? When you have meringue which is crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside it’s so amazing! In any case, you can’t taste it so much in this dish – it just provides a nice little crunch every few bites 🙂
hmm I haven’t tried pavlova because, well, because I don’t like meringue. haha circular reasoning? I don’t know, I don’t like the intense sweetness of it I guess, and that sticky chewy texture inside somehow. I don’t like marshmallow either, and macaroons. I’ve tried the famous Pierre Herme macaroons in paris before, and I didn’t even like them. It’s weird, because I eat many things that people seem put off by!
What a yummy mess! Now this kind of mess I can handle. Sounds seriously sweet tho but I guess the tartness of the berries may help there. Now I wonder if a drizzle of passionfruit pulp would work?
Hi Ping – it’s actually not too sweet. Meringue isn’t that sweet I find. It’s more rich than sweet because of the amount of cream, however I think passionfruit pulp would be a fantastic addition – I’ll remember this for next time – thanks for the excellent idea! 🙂
Oh my~~~~~those pictures are torturing me!I`m trying to cut back on sugar, but if you served me that beautiful mess, I wouldn`t say no! 😀 I first heard about Eton Mess from one of Nigella Lawson`s videos and I think it`s a wonderful dessert. Too bad that meringue isn`t a common food to find in stores in Japan, so making it from scratch is my only option. Anyway, thanks for sharing this gorgeous treat!
Hi Arudhi – I hope you get a chance to give this a try. Making meringues isn’t too hard, although you would need an oven. I’m not sure if you have one, but everyone I know who lives, or has lived in Japan never had an oven! Good luck anyway 🙂
That’s one delicious mess. Such a sweet Eton tradition, did not know about it, learnt something today, thanks.
Thanks Norma – apparently they used to sell this in the school “tuck shop” as well – so funny 😀
I’m good at making messes in the kitchen, but this mess looks like one I’d actually enjoy cleaning up. 🙂 I love, love, love berries. So do the kids. We eat them every day. I don’t know that I’ve ever bought or made a meringue, but I just whipped egg whites for the first time this weekend (crazy I know!). Maybe I can give one of these a shot. I hope you guys are having a fabulous weekend. The weather here has been summer-like. We even ate outside on the patio last night! Loving it!!! 🙂
Hi Kristy – did you whip the egg whites using an electric whisk? I used to do it by hand until I got an electric one… my God – it’s so fast! Takes like 30 seconds to make soft peaky whites!!
The last time I made meringue it was a disaster, but generally they turn out well – I should make a post just for meringue maybe 🙂
My weekend was good, although the weather has turned chilly again 🙁
I did not expect you to puree the fruit! Not sure if I could do that to the first summer fruits, but your ingredients look delicious.
Hi Sharyn – I didn’t purée all the fruit – only ~2 strawberries and a small handful of the raspberries and blueberries. It’s important to have chunks otherwise you risk turning it into another type of dessert, called a “fool”. The puréed fruit was just to stir into the mess before serving to create a pretty colour.
I love this dessert and I´m going to remind my mum about it as she is doing a Diamond Jubilee party on 3rd June and was asking me about traditional desserts. This would be perfect!
Awesome – what fun, I hope she gives it a try! You should recommend bakewell tarts to her as well! 😀
I’ve been reading about this dessert over the years and this looks like a very tasty version.
Thanks A_Boleyn – I much prefer raspberries to strawberries so it’s nice to have a bit of variety.
I read that bananas (marinated in banana liquer) is featured in one version of this. As I don’t care for bananas, I won’t be trying it in the near future but it was an interesting factoid to run across.
Heh, I never heard of that – it must be one of the numerous regional variants. Sounds nice to me though – might have to give it a shot 🙂
Oooh, this looks like a winner! I’ve never made my own meringues, but Trader Joe’s sells some, so might give this one a try today for dessert! Hope you guys have a great Sunday and hope the weather is beautiful just as it is over here in the states!
Thanks Lisa – I hope the meringues there are good! To be honest, I should make meringue more often – it’s very easy to make and I always seem to end up with stray egg-whites in the refrigerator from various baking activities using only the yolk. Once baked they last for a while in a tin and are so much cheaper than buying them.
Simple fruit recipes are simply the best! This looks wonderful.
Thanks Greg – it doesn’t get more simple than this too 🙂
Now I know I would LOVE this dessert. Sounds like a perfect end to a meal. But so sad that you had to distort the beautiful meringues, Charles.
I meant to comment on your volunteering, that is SO nice of you both. I’m not much of a dog person (you know, picking up the poo and all!) but we have been thinking about it…if only we didn’t travel so much.
Hi Eva – yep, the meringues were indeed pretty, but this dish is perfect especially if you make your own meringues. It doesn’t matter at all if the meringues crack, go lop-sided or break up 😀
My wife and I both love dogs – I’ve wanted a dog since I was about 8! We have a cat, but they’re so independent. I want a wonderful dog who can be my “faithful companion”, but the problem is, with the hours we work, it’s just not really feasible to have one. This satisfys our dog-wanting urges until one day when we can get one, and we can help out the poor unwanted doggies too 🙁
Charles, I have always wanted to taste Eton Mess. Now I finally see and understand why it is so famous: it looks absolutely gorgeous, delightful and seems so easy! (of course if using bought meringues because my old oven doesn’t want to make them…). Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I know a certain meringue fan who would love it even more than me 😉
Thanks Sissi – it is ridiculously easy. Once the cream is whipped it will take just 2 or 3 minutes to “throw together”. It’s not too sweet, but quite rich. Ping mentioned that passionfruit pulp might make a nice addition which I think is an excellent idea which I’ll try next time!
I’ve seen this dessert, but didn’t recall it being called Eton Mess. Seems like the Two Fat Ladies (if you ever saw that show…I loved it!) made this one time. Anyway, it looks terrific, and a great dish to try. I’d probably succumb to buying good meringues, too! 🙂
Hi Betsty – there are other “messes” – Wikipedia says there’s another called “Lancing Mess” – maybe that was the one you saw? Hope you can give it a try – it’s really tasty 🙂
That looks stunning! I really want to try it soon! You reckon I could use defrosted frozen berries? It’s not berry season here which is berry sad! 🙁
Hi Fati – I think it shouldn’t be a problem to use defrosted frozen berries – the only thing you’d have to watch out for is the fact that they might be much more watery when fully defrosted which will mix into the cream and make it less “firm”. If you drained the fruits really well first it should be fine though!
What a beautiful mess! This looks like such a great warm-weather dessert. Can’t wait for summer to arrive!
Thanks Kyleen – we ate this “just in time” here… it got a bit chilly on the weekend again alas so it was good to enjoy this while we still had a bit of sun!
I’ve never heard of Eton Mess but happy to learn about it just like other European recipes you share. 🙂 This is actually fun recipe because you get to make it all mix it up instead of tidily trying to decorate etc. But taking pictures seems to be stressful but you did a fantastic jbo!
Thanks Nami – yeah… forget about trying to make this look “pretty” – just smush everything together and mix it all up. Once the cream is whipped it takes literally 2 minutes to make :D. I wish I’d placed some berries on top – it would have looked prettier than just the cream I think – oh well 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend!
Oh, is there no better dessert! I love Eton Mess and I often make it but I cheat by using store bought meringues and I add a dash of strawberry liquor. And sometimes I make the Aussie version that is with mangoes and passionfruit. Looks delicious Charles! xx
Hi Charlie – I think as long as they’re decent meringues there’s nothing wrong with a bit of cheating 😀 Makes it so fast that way! I love the idea of the strawberry liquor – and the Aussie version sounds awesome too! 😀
Oops. I must have been reading too fast.
I’ve seen a lot of messes, but this one is my kind of “mess”–both decadent and sweet:) Love meringue!!
Thanks Malli – it’s definitely one of the better “messes” I’ve made… and believe me, I’m no stranger to messes in the kitchen :p
Charles,
It was a crazy weekend, and now I’m trying to catch up with the posts of my blogging buddies. This is the perfect dessert to make with the ponytails — they would absolutely love pitching in and helping with the “mess”. Now this is a mess I must make soon — one that I’ll be happy with!
Hi Barb – if you make your own meringue, I can imagine that would be a fun task for the kids as well – I’m always amazed by how white and voluminous egg-whites get with a bit of whisking!
Served at Eton College‘s annual cricket match? Oh my… how civilized ;-). So it’s essentially whipped cream with whipped fruit (like them both!) and the crunchy meringue bits – how different; I bet it adds great, chewy texture and would be highly addictive :). Very fun and summery Charles – great for this warm weather we’re having! Yay.
Thanks Kelly – exactly. I would imagine you could even make a slightly healthier version with greek yoghurt, or a mix of yoghurt and cream. Really tasty 🙂
That’s my favorite pudding. I found that the ready- made meringues bought from shops in the UK tend to disintegrate, and you just end up with very sweet, gritty cream. The best Eton mess I made was when mum made the meringue. She left it slightly gooey in the middle, and so the taste and texture of the finished dish was amazing.
Thanks for all these wonderful posts … I have the Chinese housekeeper cooking from the iPad by looking at the picture recipes on your blog. She doesn’t speak or read English, but can still access the information. Great!
Thanks Clare – cheap ready-made meringue can be really bad. The bright white stuff looks like dried plaster… Maybe they make it with reconstituted, dried egg-whites? Mum bought a pavlova base once, which wasn’t soft and gooey at all in the middle like pavlovas should be, but would have been perfect for this dish!
Charles.. I am convinced, with this beautiful dish, you know the way to my heart :). You are going to make me go to the farmers market this weekend.. and get me some fresh fruit. And just look at those meringues… LOVE THEM. I am so happy reading this and I can’t wait to make this
Haha, thanks Kay – do let me know if you give it a try! Wait for a nice warm day and then relax with a bowl of this stuff – it’s heaven 🙂
I LOVE this stuff! I’ve even been known to bastardise it and put other things than berries in it. Okay, I’ll admit it, I’ll eat anything with meringues and cream. I’ve even tried bits of chocolate ice cream but you’ve gotta be quick with the spoon action.
Just give me the bowl and a big spoon and nobody will get hurt.
Haha, why not? Stick in any old thing – chocolate chips would be cool I think. A_Boleyn mentioned above that she’s heard of a version with bananas which sounds nice too!
A delightful mess for sure. Probably the only time someone would describe a “mess” as being good. Haha.
Hehe, thanks Karen – makes for interesting dinner conversation! “Here, have some of this mess I made” 😀
Dear Charles,
I saw a similar recipe on TV by Jamie Oliver and the “mess” looks absolutely delicious and also very apt considering Jamie’s no fuss, simple and rustic style of cooking. The summer berries look gorgeous except we are soon heading into winter down under here. Time for some apple and rhubarb crumble 🙂
Thanks Chopinand – I still find it so weird that while we’re looking forward to a lovely summer, you guys are preparing to move on into Winter… and the fact that you’ll be tucking into rhubarb and apple crumbles! 😀 Something for you to try around November or December maybe 🙂
What a sweet “mess”! delightful!
Thanks Marina 🙂 Hope you’tr having a wonderful day 🙂
Yummy!! I want to ignore the calories 😉
Hehe, thanks Kiran 🙂
Hello Charles! This looks really yummy! I’ve never tried it before 🙂 can’t wait.
~Melissa
Thanks Melissa – it’s very simple, but so delicious, and just perfect for summer! Enjoy 🙂
When you said meringue I wasn’t thinking of a crispy meringue, something I’ve never had. My mother made meringue pies and the meringue was soft and, if overcooked, chewy. So now I really need to find these meringue cookies as I’ll call them. The salad sounds delicious and real treat for a festive occasion.
Thanks MJ – I’m familiar with the soft meringue – the crispy stuff is easy enough to make as well though – I think it’s all down to how stiff the whites are whisked and the baking temperature/length in the oven. Hope you decide to give it a try! 🙂
This sounds like a real treat. I can only imagine the combination of crunchy, juicy and cramy..YUM!
That’s exactly it Sawsan – really delish, I definitely recommend it!
This mess is something I would love to clean up with a spoon. Looks fantastic!!!
Ah indeed Asmita – one of the few “messes” in life which is actually enjoyable to clean up 😀
Yum yum! I’m gonna make me a big mess o that!!
Hehe, hope you enjoy it 🙂