This Eton mess recipe is a take on the traditional English dessert, which essentially is a pile of amazing whipped cream with homemade crushed meringue cookies and fresh berries!
What’s this you ask? Well, this is a pile of absolute deliciousness, called Eton Mess! It’s a traditional English dessert which essentially is a pile of the most amazing whipped cream with homemade crushed meringue cookies and fresh berries!
I first tried this Eton Mess recipe at The Soho House in West Hollywood and fell in love with the messy dessert! The presentation is unique and unlike any other dessert.
It’s served in a giant pile on a platter for everyone to scoop from. It’s a fun, light dessert that fits perfectly for Halloween too!!
How To Make This Eton Mess Recipe – Step By Step
Meringue Cookies
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a standalone mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until frothy.
- Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Add in the sugar and beat on high.
- Then add in the extracts. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form and does not feel gritty.
- Place spoonfuls of meringue on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 2 hours until crispy. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door and let them sit for hours or overnight.
- After the cookies have baked and are crunchy, crumble them up into large and small chunks.
Eton Mess
- In a standalone mixer on high, beat the heavy cream, sugar
and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in the crushed meringue cookies. - In a small pot, simmer 1 cup blueberries and blackberries with a little water and a tablespoon sugar until juicy.
- Let it cool. Pile the whipped cream onto a platter, add more chunks of meringue on top with the sauce and fresh blueberries and blackberries. ENJOY!
Origins Of The Eton Mess
The classic Eton mess recipe makes a traditional English dessert, consisting of a mixture of strawberries, broken meringue, and whipped double cream. First mentioned in print in 1893, it is commonly believed to originate from Eton College and is served at the annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School.
This Eton mess recipe was served in the 1930s in the school’s “sock shop” (tuck shop), and was originally made with either strawberries or bananas mixed with ice-cream or cream. Meringue was a later addition. An Eton mess can be made with many other types of summer fruit, but strawberries are regarded as more traditional.
The word mess may refer to the appearance of the dish, or may be used in the sense of “a quantity of food”, particularly “a prepared dish of soft food” or “a mixture of ingredients cooked or eaten together”.
Blueberries and Blackberries – Perfect For Desserts!
This Eton mess recipe uses blueberries and blackberries, providing a lovely tart counterpoint to the sweet meringue and whipped cream.
The blackberries are tart berries that burst when you bite into them. They are almost citrus-like, but sweeter. Blueberries are be less tart with a mellower, but not necessarily sweeter flavor closer to concentrated apple or pear than citrus.
With an overall complex, tangy and sweet flavor, blueberries are a perfect fruit to pair with the more citrus notes of the blackberries. This Eton mess recipe is really well balanced, the perfect blend of tangy and sweet!
Can I Make This Eton Mess Recipe In Advance?
This Eton Mess recipe needs to be put together close to serving time, when the meringues are still crispy.
You can prepare each of the dessert components in advance: whipping the cream, prepping the berries, and breaking the meringues. Store the whipped cream and berries in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Tips For This Eton Mess Recipe
- Use the freshest berries available.
- Use a preheated oven.
- Beat the meringue mixture until it does not feel gritty.
- Make sure not to skimp on the crushed meringue cookies on top!
Check Out These Other Delicious Desserts
Decadent Chocolate Souffles For Two
The Best Devil’s Food Cake Recipe
Very Berry Pavlova Recipe by Natasha’s Kitchen
Brownie Baked Alaska by Sally’s Baking Addiction
If you have tried this Eton Mess recipe, let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
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A Delicious Eton Mess Recipe
Ingredients
Homemade Meringue Cookies
- 6 egg whites
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Eton Mess Recipe
- 4 cups heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla
- 12 crushed meringue cookies
- 1 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup for the sauce
- 1 cup blackberries, 1/2 cup for the sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
Meringue Cookies
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees. In a standalone mixer with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue to beat until they hold soft peaks. Add in the sugar and beat on high. Then add in the extracts. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form and does not feel gritty.
- Place spoonfuls of meringue on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 2 hours until crispy. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door and let them sit for hours or overnight.
- After the cookies have baked and are crunchy, crumble them up into large and small chunks.
Eton Mess
- In a standalone mixer on high, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Fold in the crushed meringue cookies. In a small pot, simmer 1 cup blueberries and blackberries with a little water and a tablespoon sugar until juicy. Let it cool. Pile the whipped cream onto a platter, add more chunks of meringue on top with the sauce and fresh blueberries and blackberries. ENJOY!
Seriously, do you understand how much I LOVE Eton Mess?!? It makes me feel like I’m some posh girl in the Victorian era without having to wear the ruffles!
Haha!!! Me too!! It’s truly one AMAZING dessert that gets over looked in the US!! More Eton Mess PLEASE! XOXO
Yum!