Lightened Up Eton Mess

I’m super excited to share this post with all of my American readers in particular because chances are they have never heard of the dessert “Eton Mess.” Here in the UK, Eton Mess is hugely popular and a fixture on everyone’s summer menus. It’s a shame America hasn’t caught on yet, because Eton Mess is a summer delight in the form of fresh strawberries, cream and crunchy vanilla meringue. Eton Mess got its name from the English boarding school Eton College, where it was first severed at its annual cricket game. It became a tradition to eat Eton Mess at Eton and it soon spread all throughout Britain. The “Mess” part of the name may refer to the dessert’s informal appearance, but don’t let that discourage you, it’s truly delicious and can be classed up with martini glasses like I did in these photos if you’d like. I called this recipe “Lightened Up” because it uses 1/2 whipping cream and 1/2 plain Greek yogurt. The cream is thick and dense and truly doesn’t taste “light” at all. A store-bought meringue is traditionally used, however, you can make your own if you are feeling adventurous. Check out the recipe below for this British classic.

 { Eton Mess is a great way to take advantage of fresh, local summer strawberries }

Lightened Up Eton Mess

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food

Ingredients
150ml (2/3 cup) whipping cream
150ml (2/3 cup)  0% fat plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
300g (11 oz) fresh strawberries
1 large ready-made meringue, crushed

Directions

Using an electric mixer, whip whipping cream, yogurt, vanilla and 1 tbsp of the sugar for a couple minutes until combined (mixture will be thick).

Place half of the strawberries and the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar into a food processor and mix until it turns into a puree similar to the photo below.

Finally, layer the cream, crushed meringue, strawberries and purée in glasses, ending with some strawberries and purée on top.

Lightened Up Eton Mess

 

Author:

Janelle

Recipe type: Dessert

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A lightened up version of the British summer classic, Eton Mess

Ingredients

• 150ml (2/3 cup) whipping cream
• 150ml (2/3 cup)
• 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp icing sugar (confectioner’s sugar)
• 300g (11 oz) fresh strawberries
• 1 large ready-made meringue, crushed

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer, whip whipping cream, yogurt, vanilla and 1 tbsp of the sugar for a couple minutes until combined (mixture will be thick).
2. Place half of the strawberries and the remaining 1 tbsp of sugar into a food processor and mix until it turns into a puree.
3. Finally, layer the cream, crushed meringue, strawberries and purée in glasses, ending with some strawberries and purée on top.

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