Eton Mess

Everybody knows that dessert is the most important part of your day! That’s why I’m excited about what Kate is sharing with us today. I met the lovely Kate from the blog Tell Me Tuesday through Instagram and we became Insta-pals because her IG feed is that amazing! It’s colorful, bright and happy just like her blog.

You might have seen that I shared a Valentines post over on Tell Me Tuesday earlier this week (if you haven’t seen it yet, spoiler alert — it’s a confetti-filled DIY Valentines snow globe). Well, today Kate is sharing a dessert recipe that is absolutely drool-worthy and perfect for a Valentines surprise:

As much as I love a new exciting dish or flavor combination, sometimes you just crave the classics. The kind of dishes my mom made when I was a kid. Comfort food 101.

Eton Mess (a classic British dish) is similar to a pavlova (a source of national pride here in Australia), but in a less refined, throw-it-all-together kind of way.

For a more contemporary twist I’ve used a subtle goat cheese cream. The flavor is super-subtle and the mild sourness works really well with the overall sweetness of the dish. If goat cheese just really isn’t your thing, good ol’ plain thickened cream is absolutely fine, just omit the sugar.

You will need:

400g fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced in half (reserve a couple to serve)
4 oz (120g) fresh blackberries
2 Tbs caster sugar
4 meringue nests, (approximately 10g or 1/3 oz each in size)

Goat cheese cream:

3 oz (85g) soft, mild goat cheese
1 ½ cups thick cream
1 Tbs caster sugar

Method:

Remove the goat cheese from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature on your kitchen bench. You want it to be lovely and soft so it’s easier to work into the cream later on.

Place strawberries in a bowl with the caster sugar. Toss gently and allow to macerate until you’re ready to serve. After about 15 minutes the juices will start to seep from the fruit.

Now back to the goat cheese cream: In a large mixing bowl crumble in your softened goat cheese. Top with cream and sugar and whisk gently, working in the goat cheese until the cream is smooth. Taste for balance. You want the flavor of the goat cheese to be subtle and slightly tart enough to balance the sweetness of the berries and meringue. Add more sugar or goat cheese if required and whisk again.

Once you’re happy with the flavor balance, crumble the meringues into the cream. It’s ok to be rough here– you’ll want some fine meringue dusts plus some lovely chunks to give the cream texture and crunch. Gently fold the meringue through the cream with a large spoon.

Distribute the macerated strawberries into the base of 4 glasses. Top with blackberries. Spoon over the goat cheese cream and top with extra strawberries. Serve immediately.

If you’re looking for a dessert wine match, a cold glass of blush pink sparkling Moscato d’Asti is perfect with this.

 

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ABOUT KATE

Kate is the talented blogger of Tell Me Tuesday, a busy girl’s guide to creating a beautiful life. She shares crafty DIYs, yummy recipes and helpful resources to inspire you on your creative journey! You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter and her blog.