Don't mess with Eton mess
"there is one ... utterly English summer dish that ought to be championed both for its wonderful simplicity and for the fact that, whichever way you look at it - and I have looked at it from every conceivable angle - it is quite simply impossible to improve upon. That dish is Eton mess."
Heston Blumenthal
And yet people do - mess with it that is. And an example is Curtis Stone in the latest Coles Magazine. So to mess or not to mess?
The picture at left is a dish that Curtis Stone calls Smashed Pavlova Cherry Trifle. But it's not a trifle - there is no cake in it. It's basically a variation on Eton Mess. But the variation is only slight - different fruit and a touch of liqueur in the cream.
And what is Eton Mess - well possibly the easiest and most delicious summer dessert there is. The Australians have sort of converted it into Pavlova, but that's a tiny bit more difficult - unless you buy a pre-made pavlova - because you've got to cook the perfect meringue. And in fact Curtis Stone calls these recipes Smashed Pavlovas rather than Eton Mess - just to confirm his Aussie credentials - he lives in America.
And it is very easy because, as Delia says, even if you don't buy shop meringues (I do), you don't have to cook the perfect meringue:
"This recipe, ... is great for nervous meringue makers – because the meringues are broken up, it simply doesn't matter if they weep, crack or collapse. So, you can practise making them over and over with this dish until you get them perfect and, at the same time, enjoy this amazingly good summer dessert." Delia Smith
I confess I'm one of her nervous meringue makers. The last time I tried they ended up all chewy and not at all crisp, so I doubt if even they could have been used in Eton Mess which, after all has to have crunchy meringue. So I shall probably continue to buy ready-made meringue nests and break them up.
Eton Mess was conceived in the kitchens of Eton College in England and is served on the day of the annual cricket match with Harrow. My public schoolboy husband tells me that one of these aristocratic institutions is academically admired and the other not, but I can never remember which is which. Disregard the stories of the over-excited dog jumping on a meringue dessert and crushing it, and even disregard the meringue, because initially it was just strawberries (or banana) and cream - that other quintessentially English dish which is still served in vast quantities at Wimbledon. However it was invented, a version existed from late in the nineteenth century, but reached its peak, I think in the 1930s. I'm not sure when the meringue was added - maybe in the 30s.
Curtis Stone's other two versions were a tray version with peaches and mascarpone and one topped with mangoes, kiwi fruit and passionfruit. And you will find lots of different versions of this particular mixture online. Incidentally the peaches and mascarpone one has a video of Curtis Stone making it as well.
Both of these are slightly more complicated but I guess they show you what you can do with the basic concept - vary the fruit, change to different kinds of cream or yoghurt, add things like nuts and alcohol, pour over a fruit purée ... Because that's the other great thing about the basic recipe really - it is so easy to vary it whilst remaining true to the concept. You can even make it with fruit that needs to be cooked a bit first.
But back to Heston Blumenthal. I looked for his suggestions because I thought that if anyone would have done something weird with Eton Mess he would have. So I was a tiny bit surprised to see that he said to leave well alone.
"We tried many ways to make it more gastronomic - by layering the elements in a glass; by serving the meringue as a disc with the strawberries and cream on top; even by rehousing all of the elements in different forms, such as strawberry sorbet, meringue tuile and ice cream. But it soon became apparent that some things should just be left well alone, and Eton mess is most certainly one of them." Heston Blumenthhal
Incidentally when I looked at Jamie Oliver's version it looked very much like a sandwich pavlova to me rather than an Eton Mess.
Heston Blumenthal, however, did mention strawberry juice - to drizzle over it. What is Strawberry juice you may ask? Well not just a straight processed purée. Oh no - it's Heston Blumenthal after all. You cook the strawberries with some sugar - well you put them in a bowl and steam them over boiling water for an hour or so, then you put them in some muslin and hang it up for a day to extract the juice. It actually wasn't all that complicated, just a bit tedious and you end up with some juice that can be used in all sorts of ways.
But if you want a lesson in how to make a basic, traditional Eton Mess, go to Felicity Cloake who has a step-by-step recipe with pictures.
When I'm really stuck for what to do for dessert for crowds in summer, this is what I go for. In summer I must remember to stock up with meringue nests, so that I'm ready for any emergency. And there's always fruit of some kind in the fridge.
"Fruits with an element of sharpness to them, such as cherries, passion fruit or blackberries, mixed with the shattered crust and chewy heart of a meringue and sumptuous folds of cream will give you that elusive mixture of soft, crisp, sweet, sour that makes a summer dessert hit the target. " Nigel Slater
