I made this version of Eton Mess for the first time last year. The reason for mixing the puree strawberries with the cream as appose to the tradition of mixing plain whipped cream with strawberries is because I don’t like the flavour of cream plain. But I do love what cream does to flavour. It’s been proven through MRI scans that our brains have a wider reaction when eating foods with high fat, 30% or more. The area in our brain that detects texture and reward is also stimulated when eating high fat foods which doesn’t happen otherwise. I love facts like this. Proves what cooks have always known, fat has flavour…at least that’s how our brain registers.
If you buy meringue then this becomes one of those throw it together last minute no-cooking desserts. If like me over the weekend you have egg whites in the freezer to use up this dessert is the perfect excuse to make. When making the meringues for this I like to dry them out rather than leaving them with a soft chewy centre because I prefer that crunch texture throughout to mix with the soft cream.
Strawberry Cream Eton Mess
There is no exact measurements for this, I’ll give a guideline and if you like add more of anything. I roughly follow equal measurements in purée to cream, it gives me a nice strawberry flavoured cream. You could also add a tablespoon or two of fraise de bois liqueur.
- 300g / 1 1/2 cup puree strawberries
- 200-300g / 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 300ml / 1 1/2 cup double/whipping cream (thick cream 30% or more fat)
- 2 tablespoons of sugar (depends on how sweet strawberries are, if sweet enough leave out or adjust to taste)
- 4-6 medium meringues, bought or homemade
Whip the cream until firm, adding the sugar. This is perhaps a rare occasion where I whip the cream firmer than usual to take in all the liquid. This is also why low-fat cream wouldn’t work because it wouldn’t hold the puree in.
Add the puree and fold it until all blended. Crush meringues into large pieces and fold it in along with the slices of strawberries.
The closest you make this to serving the more crunch your meringue will have. The strawberry cream can be made ahead and kept in the fridge however.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
One of our favourite desserts in strawberry season is chopping the strawberries fairly small and then stirring them and some sugar into some thick thick cream… and leaving it all in the fridge to macerate – the sugar draws the juices out from the fruit into the cream. YUM! And dropping chunks of meringue into that mess would be very tasty indeed.
Macerate..now there’s a word I like to use Kavey.
Did you see in the news recently the results of a rather big study of the relationship of consuming fats, and the effect that may have on our cholesterol levels? Essentially, what the study revealed was that there is almost no relationship between the two. This comes as no surprise to me, as I’ve been having interesting conversations with my docs for years – I tell them that I eat absurd amounts of butter and fats, and my cholesterol has never been in trouble – this annoys my docs, since they want very much to think of medicine as a science, and the med studies have always said there was a relationship between eating fats and cholesterol. My theory is that high cholesterol is a genetic thing – you either have the gene, or you don’t. I have said for years that the day will come when lard is considered a health food, and I’m not just being silly – I really believe that.
hi dr Fugawe – yes over here it’s been know for a while there is no link between cholesterol & fat. There are lots of mis-information out there…like people accepting fat makes you fat but it doesn’t not in the context of how much carbs makes you fat. I’m going to try and track down someone who I saw on twitter linking an article about lard actually having health benefits.
The irony about the long held belief of fat being bad for you over here in Europe has been the place in France where everything is cooked in goose fat and having a healthy population.
The other held belief of fat and salt being bad for you is the irony of the traditional Japanese diet which has a good dose of fat as they love eating their chicken skin etc, frying, fatty pork, and is high in salt with soya sauce etc yet it’s a diet that traditionally produced a healthy population…I suspect because they had a good balanced diet which included a lot of omega 3. Omega 3 is something we are now in the West lacking and causing havoc with the balance of our system because we overdose in omega 6…this is something which I think will be discussed more in years to come. From reports years ago I remember reading the problem with the traditional Japanese diet was causing stomach cancer…they believed was from over-eating their beloved pickles.
I’m a firm believer in Michel Montignac’s theory (http://www.montignac.com). After reading his books and put his saying into practice, I’ve lost a LOT of weight and felt very healthy… and still was eating cheese, foie gras and all the rest of it! So far, I haven’t found any pitfall in his theory… Highly recommend to read his book explaining his approach – LOVED it!
Also, what people tend to forget is that in the past, most jobs were outdoor and required heavier physical activities, thus burning energy. Today, lot more jobs are office based and the the energy isn’t burnt like before and is stocked as fat…
PS: I wouldn’t mind sampling your Eton mess anytime!!
Yes Gregoire you’re right…we are programmed to store fat for the leaner times when going through famine but most of us have access to too much food readily available and we no longer have to physically work to grow it and make it!
Well I’m excited to make your scones just hope I can do them justice!
I love the idea of mixing the meringue through a strawberry fool! Much more flavour! Beautiful peonies too. Our peony had a great year this year – covered with enormous blooms.
hi Foodycat – What I adore about them apart from looking elegant and grand is the lovely fragrance they have even the shop bought ones..a big plus nowadays.