Eton Mess
/This is the hottest dish in New York right now. It was on the menu at Le Caprice and also at April Bloomfield's buzzing new gastropub The Breslin. Now that strawberry season is nearly over, I'm making this dessert with raspberries. You can buy the meringues to make it extra easy. Originally Eton Mess was a famous dessert at Eton School in Britain. It developed because a cook made a meringue that she broke and in trying to figure out some of way serving this to the students, she layered it with cream and fruit.
Ingredients
Meringues:
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Raspberry sauce:
- 1 cup raspberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
- To finish:
- 1 cup raspberries
- 1 cup whipping cream, whipped with 1 tablespoon sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 275 F.
Place egg whites in a bowl and beat until frothy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Continue to beat until egg whites are thick, stiff and very glossy (like shaving cream). Beat in lemon juice.
Spoon onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in six 2-inch dollops. Bake for 1 hour or until crisp. Break meringues into large and small pieces. Set aside.
Combine raspberries with lemon juice and sugar in a food processor and process until smooth.
Fold together raspberries, whipping cream, raspberry sauce (reserving some for garnish) and crumbled meringue (reserving some for garnish) in a bowl. Place a spoonful of raspberry mixture onto the middle of a plate or use a ring mould for a prettier presentation. Garnish with more crumbled meringue and a drizzle of raspberry sauce. Repeat layers. Serves 4.