Equipment
Ingredients
Main
- 500 g mixed berries, hulled and chopped
- 10 g caster sugar
- 150 ml gin
- 500 ml heavy cream
- 4 meringue nests
- 2 g fresh mint, leaves only
- 5 g icing sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 1060 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- 87 g
- Fat
- 60 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 40 g
- Sodium
- 629 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 34 g
- Trans Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 16 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 149 mg
- Potassium
- 689 mg
- Calcium
- 217 mg
- Iron
- 2.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 124 mg
- Phosphorus
- 509 mg
- Zinc
- 3.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 555 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.9 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.40 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.61 mg
- Niacin
- 1.3 mg
- Folate
- 44 mcg
- Water
- 122 g
- Alcohol
- 14 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the mixed berries, caster sugar, and gin in a shallow dish. Stir gently and let the mixture marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until it thickens and holds soft peaks.
Roughly crush three of the meringue nests into bite-sized pieces and gently fold them into the whipped cream.
Layer the meringue cream mixture and the marinated berries into four serving glasses, reserving a small portion of berries for the garnish.
Crumble the final meringue nest over the glasses. Garnish with the reserved berries, fresh mint leaves, and a dusting of icing sugar.
Chef's Notes
- Ensure the heavy cream is very cold before whipping to achieve the best volume.
- For a non-alcoholic version, replace the gin with an equal amount of elderflower cordial or berry juice.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 hours — Meringue will lose its crisp texture and the cream may begin to weep if stored too long.
Troubleshooting
Meringue pieces are soft and chewy instead of crunchy.
Cause: The dessert was assembled too far in advance and the meringue absorbed moisture from the cream.
Fix: Cannot be fixed.
Prevention: Assemble the dessert immediately before serving.
Whipped cream is grainy or separating.
Cause: The cream was over-whipped.
Fix: Gently fold in a tablespoon of un-whipped liquid cream to smooth it out.
Prevention: Stop whisking as soon as soft peaks form; use chilled cream and equipment.
Cultural Context
Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream, believed to have originated at Eton College.
