Raspberry Eton Mess
This Raspberry Eton Mess is what dessert dreams are made of! Layers of crunchy marshmallowy meringue, sweet and tart raspberry compote and creamy whipped cream. The BEST.
Welcome back to Pretty Dirty Cottage, a six-recipe series between myself, Nik of Weekend at the Cottage, and Julie of Dinner with Julie. We’ve teamed up to create and share each other’s recipes, and today Nik is baking my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie into a Galette, Julie is making Nik’s Carrot Cake, and I’m sharing Julie’s Eton Mess. In case you missed last week’s recipes, here are Nik’s Gooey Cinnamon Buns and my Blueberry Hand Pies.
Dirty Food
The recipe I’m using today is from Julie’s cookbook, Dirty Food. Her recipe uses rhubarb, which would be mega-delicious, but I decided to switch things up a bit and make it with only fresh raspberries. Raspberries are my favourite fruit. But let’s get back to Julie’s book for a minute. Dirty Food is fantastic. It’s loaded with easy-to-make-super-delicious recipes. I’ve made many from it already…her Trashy Cookies and Gooey Cinnamon Buns are the best. And now Eton Mess…this cookbook is what food dreams are made of…and every cookbook shelf should have a copy of it.
Eton Mess is Easy!
Now back the recipe…I’m really excited this one! Eton mess was always something that I never thought to make because it just sounded too fancy and too hard, but in actual fact it’s neither of those things. I also didn’t realize that Eton Mess is really just a broken up Pavlova…what?! And honestly, after making this 3 times, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a dessert that I loved more. True story. Eton Mess is at the very top of my dessert list.
I had no idea how easy Eton Mess was to make…you really can’t go wrong. I only wish I had realized this sooner because we would have enjoyed this dessert many many times over by now. THIS dessert is my dream dessert.
Fluffy, crunchy, marshmallowy meringues, smothered in whipped cream and macerated raspberries. Seriously. So. Delicious.
You can have this dessert ready to go in just over an hour, and really, most of that time is the meringues baking, so it’s not too hard. You won’t break a sweat putting this dessert together.
Making Meringues
For me, it was the making of the meringues that intimidated me the most about making Eton Mess and Pavlova. But I’m here to tell you, this is not something to be afraid of. I actually don’t think you can ruin them. Especially when it comes to meringues for Eton Mess. And because you’re breaking up the baked meringues before serving, they don’t have to look perfect when you’re putting them on the baking sheet. The only thing you really have to concern yourself with is making sure they’re all about the same size.
Meringues before baking.
Meringues after baking. Little clouds of crunchy marshmallowy perfection.
Eton Mess is a PERFECT summer dessert. Make a batch for dessert tonight, or double the batch and serve it to a crowd. Everyone will be glad you did!
Raspberry Eaton Mess Recipe Tips:
- After 1 hour in the oven, the meringues will have a nice marshmallowy centre. But if you want them more dry, bake them a little longer…15 minutes at a time, watching them to make sure they don’t burn.
- If you want this dessert to be even easier to make, you can also buy store-bought meringues. But trust me, making the meringues yourself is very easy!
- If after making the raspberry compote you want to speed things along and get your dessert ready faster, transfer the raspberry mixture to a separate bowl and refrigerate until it is completely cool.
- Make sure to let the meringues and compote cool completely or the meringue will dissolve and the whipping cream will melt when you assemble the dessert.
- Choosing your serving dishes: You can use small plates, glasses, small jars or even a trifle bowl.
- Make Ahead Tip: You can make the meringues, compote and whipping cream all ahead of time (even a day ahead). Just assemble everything when you’re ready to serve!
Raspberry Eton Mess
This Raspberry Eton Mess is what dessert dreams are made of! Layers of crunchy marshmallowy meringue, sweet and tart raspberry compote and creamy whipped cream. The BEST.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 0 Serves 6 - 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Meringues:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3 large egg whites
Raspberry Compote:
- 4 cups raspberries (frozen or fresh)
- 2/3 cup sugar
Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
Instructions
Making the Meringues:
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
- In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, whip the egg whites until they are foamy.
- Then while the egg whites are still whipping, gradually add the sugar and cornstarch until the mixture becomes glossy and forms stiff peaks. The texture will be kind of like shaving foam.
- Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper, then add big spoonfuls of the meringue onto the sheet, with the meringues about 2 inches apart. Don’t worry about making them look pretty or perfect, you’re going to be breaking them up when they’re cooked anyway. See the pictures above for size reference.
- Bake for 1 hour, until they are barely golden in colour, cracked and dry.
- After 1 hour the meringues will have a nice marshmallowy centre, but if you want them more dry, bake them a little longer…15 minutes at a time, watching them to make sure they don’t burn.
- Set aside to cool.
Making the Raspberry Compote:
- While the meringues are baking, you can make the raspberry compote.
- In a saucepan over low-medium heat, combine the raspberries and sugar.
- Cook until the raspberries release their juices, soften and break down into a chunky sauce. I stir the mixture only a couple of times, if you over stir the raspberries will break down and you’ll end up with more of a jam. You want there to be raspberry chunks. This takes about 15 -20 minutes, or until you see that the sauce is more like syrup instead of juice.
- Set aside to cool completely. Tip! If you want to speed things up transfer the raspberry mixture to a separate bowl and refrigerate.
Making the Whipping Cream:
- Whip the cream until it has stiff peaks.
- Hand stir in the confectioner’s sugar and vanilla, until fully combined.
Putting it all together:
- Once both the meringues and the raspberry compote are completely cool, you can put the dessert together. Note: These have to be cooled completely or the meringue will dissolve and the whipping cream will melt.
- Now choose the type of serving dish you want for this dessert. You can use small plates, glasses, small jars or even a trifle bowl.
- When you’re ready to assemble the Eton Mess, take one meringue and break it apart, then place it onto your dish.
- Add dollops of whipping cream.
- Drizzle on the raspberry compote.
- Serve immediately and enjoy! Seriously though…you will LOVE this dessert.
Keywords: Eton Mess
More Delicious Raspberry Recipes:
- Peach Raspberry Crisp
- Raspberry Buttermilk Muffins
- Easy 2 Ingredient Raspberry Jam
- Raspberry Galette
- Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Cream Tarts
Have a delicious day!
It’s so gorgeous! and we have the same plates!!
Thanks Julie! I have you to thank for me actually making meringues…I was always so scared to make them! Now they’re a dessert staple…SO easy and delicious!!