About This Recipe
I’m sure you have all heard of Eton Mess, the classic English boarding school dessert. That name is so unappealing, however, and the dessert is sublime. So I changed it to Strawberry Meringue Dessert.
It’s very simple, really – just layer whipped cream with crumbled meringue cookies and strawberries. It’s amazing how something so simple can be so incredibly delicious.
If you make this dessert ahead of time, the meringues soften in the cream and meld into a mixture that’s almost like a cooked pudding. If you serve it right away, the meringues stay slightly crunchy in the middle. Either way, it’s fabulous.
Oh, and you could make this dessert with raspberries instead. Yum.
Make this dessert in your prettiest glasses and enjoy.
This is the standard recipe for Eton Mess: I have developed another recipe called Black Forest Eton Mess, which is made with cherries and chocolate. It’s divine too! So make one or the other. Or make both and give your guests a choice!
Tips for the best Strawberry Meringue Dessert
- Don’t over whip the cream. It won’t turn into butter, but may get too stiff and the meringues won’t soften properly.
- Always rinse strawberries and other fresh fruit before you prepare or eat them for food safety reasons. Dry the strawberries before you cut them and fold them into the cream mixture.
- When you crumble the meringues, have some larger pieces and some meringue dust for interest.
Why this recipe works:
- The combination of strawberries and cream is a classic, for good reason. The tartness of the strawberries makes the cream taste sweeter. And the texture difference is fabulous as well.
- The meringues will either be crunchy and a bit sweeter than the cream, or they will soften almost to the texture of the whipped cream, depending on how long ahead of time you make this dessert. Either way is delicious.
- You do have to store this dessert in the fridge for food safety reasons. Don’t leave it out of the fridge longer than two hours, or one hour if the ambient air temperature is above 90°F. But don’t worry – it will be devoured in about 5 minutes.
Steps
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1
Done
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In a large bowl, beat the cream with the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. |
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2
Done
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Fold in the crumbled meringue cookies. |
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3
Done
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Smash 1/2 cup of the strawberries and combine with the remaining 2 cups sliced fruit. |
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4
Done
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Layer the cream mixture and the strawberry mixture in pretty glasses. Depending on the size of the glasses, you can fill four, five, or six of them. Either serve right away or chill up to 4 hours. |
