A little precision can do a lot for Eton mess. The iconic mash‑up of macerated strawberries, swoopy cream, and broken meringue trades on its thrown-together charm, whether you believe it materialized at the posh British boarding school when a bouncy labrador crushed a pavlova or at a Victorian engagement party. But the elements’ sublime contrast is what made the dessert worth repeating, so why not design a version around that? Berries that don’t just punctuate the cream but ripple through it. Meringue that isn’t hard or tacky—often the curse of store-bought—but uniformly crisp. Cream just thick enough to capture the fruit and cookies in a cloud.
Swoopy Cream, Berries, and Meringue Make Eton Mess Iconic
Smartening up the three components takes this once-happenstance English classic to a new level.
By Published Apr. 3, 2023
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It’s crucial to bake the meringue low and slow for some of the time in the turned-off oven’s fading heat so that it thoroughly dries out. Maximizing surface area helps too, so I piped a ½-inch-wide zigzag “snake” to expose as much of the whites to the heat as possible while fitting all of the meringue on the baking sheet. Once cooled, the cookie was airy, crisp, and easy to cut into pieces.
During the downtime, I tossed the berries with sugar. The macerated fruit is typically folded in as is, but I mashed and simmered a portion of the berries until they were jammy and concentrated. Mixed with the sweetened, uncooked chunks, it was like a current of juicy, electric-red fruit running through the cream.
Make Runny “Whipped” Cream
You don’t want stiff peaks for Eton Mess. You don’t even want soft ones. What you need is a foamy, pourable consistency, because the porous meringue will soak up water from the cream and thicken it. Thoroughly whipped cream will stiffen too much; underwhipping ensures that it thickens just enough.
I knew that soft cream was in order but didn’t realize just how little I should whip it until I folded in the meringue (including the dust and small bits, which help sweeten the cream) and watched the soft peaks stiffen almost instantly. The cookie had soaked up moisture from the cream like a sponge and overthickened it, so I beat it well shy of soft peaks; in fact, I stopped when it was still pourable.
I layered the elements in a wide bowl and gave the mixture a couple gentle folds. It was a mess—but, dare I say, a thoughtful one.
Recipe
Eton Mess
Subtle tweaks to the berries, cream, and meringue smarten up Eton's iconic dessert.Get the Recipe
