Wednesday 16 February 2011

Eton Mess (Strawberries & Cream, the English Way)

Since Valentines day is of absolutely no significance to me (the fact that Ro even wished me was a big surprise), it went on like any other day. My birthday on the other hand was eventful. I was moping around most of the day feeling horrible at having turned a year older and then in the evening Ro completely surprises me with my favourite cake from Hummingbird Bakery and then a fancy dinner followed by Champagne celebrations. The highlight however will be my big gift over the weekend. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and if it works out I shall tell you guys about it later.
However, I had this craving for strawberries and cream and couldn't resist the urge to whip up this easy peacy dessert, also known as Eton Mess. Well, since strawberries are an aphrodisiac (huge grin), I thought I'll post this as an epilogue of Valentines day....you know...just to get the magic going.

Apparently this dish was served at the Eton College (a very famous, and oldest prep school in England) during their famous cricket matches and the students used to mix together the cream, strawberries and meringue together and create a mess, and hence the name Eton Mess for this simple but gorgeous summer dessert. Talking about summer..I have started seeing flip flops and swim wear in stores and that is like a ray of hope..although its about 3 to 4 months till we get to wear them, it still makes me smile. 
Meringue nests- 5 or 6 (I used store bought meringues)
Double cream- 1/2 cup
Strawberries-  about 200 to 250 gms, cleaned, hulled and sliced into four
Castor sugar- 1 tbsp
Lime juice/ port wine- a dash
Mix together the chopped up strawberries, sugar and lime juice/ port and keep covered in the refrigerator for a while...just so the flavours mix. Lightly bruise them with a fork to get the juices flowing.
In a separate bowl, whip the cream till it forms soft peaks. There is no need to sweeten the cream.
Break the meringues into 1/2 inch pieces and throw them into the bowl with the whipped cream. Throw in the bruised strawberries as well. Fold carefully and you can see streaks of red being mixed into the fluffy whites...well a mess really.
Serve in martini glasses or leave it in a fancy bowl, so people can serve how much ever they want. Garnish with whole strawberries and mint leaves if you please.
I wanted to do a fancier version or lets just say a less messier version of it and so I did it individually.
I arranged one meringue on a plate, added a generous dash of cream and arranged a few of those sliced, marinated strawberries on top. Layered with another meringue shell and then finished it off with cream and strawberries. It just looked much prettier this way :)
Notes: You can more or less use any fruit of your choice here.
Storing them in the refrigerator leave s a weird kinda smell after a while, so id say eat it up as fast as you can...even better..prepare it just before you need to serve...i mean c'mon its a mess anyway!
Oh and also, if you have been trying to learn how to make meringues and they are a disaster, don't worry, just crush them and make an Eton mess:)
Sending this to A.W.E.D- British, hosted by Reva, brainchild of Chef in You

35 comments:

Asha said...

Beautiful...

Unknown said...

Aweomse clicks...luuved the red and white color combination...looks so bright and pleasant to eyes. Drooling here :)

Indian Khana said...

Love the pictures ..and it looks yum ..

Umm Mymoonah said...

That's a lovely looking dessert, very attractive.

Sunitha said...

Beautiful! I hope the strawberry had the desired effect being aphrodisiac and all that. You made me smile at that one.

schmetterlingwords said...

White and Red is a romantic combination... Perfect for the mood... Lovely clicks... it is nowhere near a 'mess'... :-)

Indian Cuisine Blogroll said...

That looks beautiful..nice to know about Eton mess

Binys Recipes said...

hey happy birthday dear and wish that ur wish come true.....

Priya Suresh said...

Wat a gorgeous and beautiful Eton Mess, loved that red and white combo..

divya said...

Gorgeous and super delicious ...

Satrupa said...

Just when I decide to go on a sugar free diet .... bang comes a recipe !! A great one ..... luv d clicks.

http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

Suja Manoj said...

Gorgeous and delicious dessert,superb clicks dear.

arthi said...

awesome..nice clicks too :)

Tanvi@Sinfully Spicy said...

Super delicious.I dun think I ll ever have leftovers with this one..thats not at all possible with desserts.

Torviewtoronto said...

meringue looks beautiful
lovely pictures

Prerna@IndianSimmer said...

My goodness, this looks divine!

sweet artichoke said...

Welcome back!
That is a very pretty looking dessert and it must be so delicious to bite into these meringues :-)

Suji said...

Beautiful!!!

Oriyarasoi said...

Drool worthy!!! The colours look fascinating and the dessert is just sinful.......

archana said...

With the way you have done it, it shall now be known as Eaton-splendid !

Sensible Vegetarian said...

Looks fantastic, love your clicks.

aipi said...

BEAUTIFUL ..is the word for this one!

US Masala

Reva said...

First of all thank you for sending this for the A.W.E.D event.Its been 2yrs since I moved from London to Kent but your writings brought back all those memories of my time there....First time on your blog and I enjoyed browsing around your recipes and superb pics... Glad to follow u... Just one request...can u include the logo,please :)...
Reva

Unknown said...

Yum!! Awesome pics

Monet said...

Happy Belated Birthday! What a beautiful little treat...I've never heard of an eton mess before, but now I want to eat (and make) one! Thank you for sharing your heart and these treats. I hope you have a blessed Saturday!

Nithu said...

Pictures are totally cool. Strawberry and cream anytime...

Vineetha Sush said...

Hope u hd a fabulous bday.Eton mess looks so lovely.Brilliant photography.I saw eton mess in Nigella's book and wanted to try it,but never did,but after seeing ur pics I think I might try this when some friends comeover !

Foodie Ann said...

Thats a lovely dessert....Loved the first photo the most...:) I am yet to taste a meringue...:D...may be in the future... There are so many things to try out...

Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic said...

This looks fantastic and so easy to make! I love strawberries and combining it with cream and meringue sounds perfect.

Kariman Al Essawy said...

They look so sweet for a romantic dinner, I love strawberries they just look so beautiful with cream :)

Hema Mahen said...

First time here...Lovely dessert nice combo of white and red...awesome clicks.. :)

Pari Vasisht said...

Hi.
The dessert looks AWESOME, and beautiful clicks.
You can also send this to veggie/fruit a month-strawberry hosted by me this month.

FOODELICIOUS

Unknown said...

What a beautiful presentation of a delicious dessert!! :)

Cool Lassi(e) said...

I have never heard of this dessert... Looks like a work of art! Too beautiful that I wouldn't want to eat.
So what gift did you get over the weekend?

Renee said...

hey...I was just browsing through your blog and had to drop by to say, you've got an amazing one. Totally love the Eton mess - the red n white color combination is to die for. Awesome photography too. I just started blogging and wld love for you to visit me.