Crisp sweet layers of meringue combined with light mint whipped cream and juicy roasted strawberries. A British classic, the Strawberry Eton Mess makes a perfect summer dessert.
This dessert is as quintessentially English as Pimms at Wimbledon and a cucumber sandwich watching a cricket match. Being English, it’s ingrained in us to love and enjoy. I want to share with you this delightful small batch recipe perfect for two people. This recipe can be doubled or more for extra servings.
How to Make Strawberry Eton Mess
There are three components to a good Eton Mess. The meringue, the whipped cream and most importantly ... the fruit!
Roasted Strawberries
In this recipe I have roasted the strawberries with a couple of tables spoons of Lyle’s Golden Syrup. After 25 minutes in the oven you have exquisite deeply flavoured and sticky strawberries. The flavour becomes acutely intense as they roast in the oven and combined with the golden syrup release all their juices. It's a mouthful of heaven and a brilliant twist on the normal fresh strawberries
Whipped Mint Cream
Light, fluffy whipped cream on top of the crisp meringue is a stunning juxtaposition of texture. Add in the finely chopped mint which pairs perfectly with the strawberries ignorer to elevate this whipped cream.
Meringue
Whipped to perfection until soft peaks form, then slowly add the sugar whilst continuing to whip until smooth and shiny. Freshly whipped meringue is utterly satisfying to make. Smooth the meringue over baking paper and bake on a low temperature for a full hour and then allow to cool completely without opening the door. I like my meringue with a crispy outside and chewy centre, but bake for longer if wanting a purely crispy meringue.
How to serve Strawberry Eton Mess
This part is easy. You have your three components ready. Break up your meringue into pieces that will fit in your serving glass. Let’s start layering. Place meringue in the bottom if the glass, then a dollop of mint cream, then a spoonful of roasted strawberries. Repeat this process . Finish off with a fresh strawberry, mint sprig and drizzle of golden syrup. Then ENJOY!!
Note: Layering the Strawberry Eton Mess in the glass should be done just before serving.
To Store
The Eton Mess won’t keep as a whole in the glass. The moisture on the cream will soften the meringue and the strawberries will breakdown the cream. You’ll end up with an unappealing grey mess even if your refrigerate it.
BUT you can keep the components separately. The cream and strawberries can be kept refrigerated in an air tight container for a couple of days. The meringue should be stores at room temperature in an air tight container and will keep for a week at least.
For more small batch recipes check out:
Dark Chocolate Walnut Blondies
Gluten Free Orange Almond Cake
Strawberry Eton Mess, Small Batch
Ingredients
Roasted Strawberries
- 300 g strawberries, hulled and halved
- 45 g Lyle’s Golden Syrup
Meringue
- 2 large eggs, whites
- 100 g caster sugar (superfine)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Whipped Cream
- 180 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 15 g powdered icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Serve with fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the strawberries on a baking tray and pour over the golden syrup and toss to coat the strawberries. Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring half-way through. The strawberries should be soft but still hold their shape and be juicy and sticky. Remove from the oven and spoon into a bowl, and set aside to cool.
- Lower your oven to 100°C (210°F). In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add your eggs and lemon juice. Whisk on medium-high until frothy and soft peaks form. Then, one tablespoon at a time, add the caster sugar whisking all the time. Ensure the sugar is incorporated before adding the next spoonful. Then whip for another five minutes until the meringue mixture is smooth, glossy and stands in firm peaks.
- Spoon meringue onto a lined baking tray and level with an offset spatula into a rectangle about 1cm (½ inch) thick. Bake for 1 hour. Don’t open the door and allow the meringue to cool completely. Then break meringue into pieces.
- In the meantime, whip your cream and powdered icing sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form. Stir in the chopped mint.
- To serve. In a glass, layer meringue, then mint cream, then roasted strawberries and repeat until the glass is full. Finish with a drizzle of the strawberry juice, some fresh strawberries and mint leaves and another drizzle of Lyle's Golden Syrup.
All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.
Notes
Nutrition
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