Eton Mess Pots for Two!
Eton Mess Pots for
Two!
Eton mess is a classic English summer pud with its origins
rooted in the fine British institution of Eton College. The mess bit comes from
its unglamorous presentation – bung strawberries, meringue and whipped cream together and make a big mess! I couldn’t
resist vamping up this public schoolboy recipe with a little adult ‘oo la la’
Essensual-style. The strawberries and
raspberries alone with their sweet red flesh are seducers. Infused with
cardamom, fresh mint and ground black pepper, they simply flame with passion!
To intensify things further, I macerate the berries in brown sugar and honey,
drawing out their juices so they marinade further in my love potion. Of course
you can’t have Eton Mess without meringue. You can buy meringues to break up
into small pieces, or use this easy French method to make cute little crunchy
but chewy secrets for a little hide and seek. To bind all ingredients together
and make a huge ‘mess’ you need whipped cream. As I am terribly wicked, I
discovered that the addition of custard to the whipped cream took things up a
notch or two. Why wear satin when you can have silk? Yep, custard has a stunning
effect on the cream, creating a dreamy sensual silky quality. I tame my Eton
Mess into little jars and present with a silver spoon tied on by a ribbon. Seductively
unwrap to enjoy.
Ingredients
Meringue or:
2 medium egg whites
125g caster sugar
Caster sugar
The Mess!
Handful of raspberries washed and dried
Handful of strawberries washed, dried and quartered
6 peppercorns
2 cardamom pods
8 fresh mint leaves washed and dried
4 generous tsp brown sugar
1 tsp honey
½ cup whipping cream
4 tbsp ready-made cold custard - buy a good quality brand
Method
Preheat oven 140°c/120°c fan bake /gas 1. 2
x 250ml jars with lids for serving
Begin by making the meringues. Whip the egg whites until
stiff. Slowly add the caster sugar and whip for a further 5 minutes.
Place meringue in a piping bag with a star nozzle, and pipe
small stars - 10p size - onto baking tray lined with lightly greased baking
paper. Sprinkle meringues lightly with caster sugar.
Pop the meringues into the pre-heated oven, middle shelf,
and turn down to the lowest setting. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. They
have to be totally crisp on the outside and remain white. Leave the meringues
in the oven to cool with the door slightly open.
In a mortar add the peppercorns and seeds from the cardamom
pods - discard their shells. Grind with the pestle until you have a fine spice
mixture.
Finely chop the mint leaves.
Place the prepared berries in a bowl and add the spices,
mint, honey and brown sugar. Carefully stir so that they are beautifully
coated. Cover and leave the berries to macerate for a minimum of 30 minutes - the
sugar causes the juices to ooze out.
When the meringues are totally cold you can begin to
assemble the Eton Mess pots.
In a large bowl whip the cream to form soft peaks and fold
in the cold custard.
Drain the berries and reserve the juice. Add two thirds of
the berries to the cream with 12 meringues.
Carefully fold the ingredients to combine loosely.
Pour the reserved berry juice into the bottom of the jars
and fill up to the two thirds mark with the Eton Mess. Divide the remaining berries
between the 2 jars and fill with the rest of the Eton Mess mixture. Top each
jar with a meringue and push down gently before you put on the lid. Serve
immediately if you want crisp meringue.
Essensual Tip
This meringue recipe does make more meringues than needed.
If they are kept in an airtight bag/container they last for at least a week for
you to enjoy an encore if you so wish! Beware - meringues hate damp and
humidity – they go soggy!
Essensual Ingredients
Egg – symbolic
Strawberries – suggestive
Raspberries – suggestive
Pepper – stimulant
Cardamom – stimulant
Mint – stimulant
Honey - potency
Vanilla - seductive
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