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I hosted lunch for a few close friends this weekend and for dessert, I prepared “Eton Mess” – based of a recipe I’ve wanted to try for quite some time now. The luncheon offered the perfect opportunity given the time of the year (raspberries are plentiful!) and I was surrounded by friends I care dearly for.
“Eton Mess” is an English dessert made by “smooshing” whipped cream, crushed meringues and a fruit sauce. The traditional recipe is made with strawberries, whipped cream and meringues. It looks simple and elegant and most of the steps can be done ahead of time. To assemble these glasses you’ll need raspberry sauce, meringues and whipped cream. I made the raspberry sauce a few days ago, bought meringues from the local “Whole Foods” and whipped cream an hour before serving. Assemble these pretty glasses when ready to serve or even better have them do it.
Ingredients:
- 6 (6-ounce) packages fresh raspberries, divided
- 1 1/2 cups plus 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons framboise liqueur (I used Grand Marnier liqueur)
- 2 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 5 to 6 (3-inch) bakery meringue shells, broken in pieces.
Pour 3 packages of the raspberries, 1 1/2 cups of the sugar, and the lemon juice nto a 10-inch saute pan.Crush the berries lightly with a fork and bring the mixture to a full boil over medium-high heat.
Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is syrupy. Fold the remaining 3 packages of raspberries and the framboise into the hot mixture and refrigerate until very cold.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream, the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, and the vanilla together on medium-high speed until it forms firm peaks.
In decorative glasses, layer a spoonful of the whipped cream a spoonful of the raspberry mixture, and then a few meringue pieces. Repeat once or twice, depending on the size of the glasses, until the glasses are full, ending with berries and a dollop of cream. Serve immediately or chill for an hour, until ready to serve.
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How luscious and delicious! This is a recipe I have been wanting to make for years too! I must try it soon!
Asmita, this looks like an incredibly delicious treat! Your presentation is gorgeous too. Grand Marnier is something I gotta save up for!
Very elegant and yummy dessert..
Looks very elegant and it is a dessert I have never heard before!
gorgeous and perfect summer!
This mess looks like one I actually want to clean up my friend – gorgeous and delicious
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Uru,
My friends were happy with this mess.
A very pretty dessert.
Thanks Balvinder.
Gorgeous!.Love the airy fluffy whipped cream on top of fruity sauce…mmmmm…perfect for summer!
Thank you Indu,
We all loved it!
love it, want it, need it, craving it! Just wonderful!
Thanks so much.
I LOVE Eton Mess and always make it when I’ve run out of time. I keep meringues in the pantry and I always have cream and this will work with frozen berries too.
Yours are beautiful.
Thanks Maureen,
After making this,I have realized just how easy it is. I want to try it with mangoes next time.
Thank you for passing from my blog and it’s a pleasure to discover yours. The dessert looks really good. I make the meringues whenever i had leftover egg whites and it’s amazing I have made a similar dessert innumerable times without knowing that there is a dessert with this name.
Hi Ivy,
It was great to stumble upon your blog. You have a lovely space and I look forward to visiting it. I have yet to try my hand at making meringues at home. It’s been pouring in Fl and know that meringues should be prepared on a dry day or else they get sticky.
I have been eyeing this recipe for a long time and I finally got to make it for my close friends who loved it.
How airy and fluffy! I am not a big whip cream fan (I know, I think you will hear this comment only once and it is from me!) and I don’t know why. But this sounds very delicious. I haven’t hosted a lunch on weekday for a long long time now. I kind of miss that, but at the same time I know I don’t have the energy for planning and preparing everything. I’ll host one dinner this weekend and I’m already stressed (despite I get extra help from husband). LOL. I love how you take the pictures of three mess(es).
Hi Nami,
Thanks so much. It can be stressful to organise a party but over the years I have learnt to just have fun with it. I hope you have a great party this weekend and I wish I could be there to eat all the delicious food you cook. I envy your guests.
So elegant looking!
Thanks kate.
One of my fav desserts.
You’ve done great justice to one of our quintessential recipes, Asmita! It’s named after one of our most prestigious schools and is traditionally served during one of their important annual cricket games. I love the picture of your broken up meringue on the board!
Thanks Lin.
gorgeous photos Asmita.. never had the meringue part, but a combination of raspberries and whipped cream will win over any heart.
Thanks a lot. We really enjoyed this dessert!
wow Asmita! I haven’t heard of this Eton Mess but it sure looks very delightful! Almost like an English Pavlova trifle! haha.. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Sammie,
That’s a brilliant way to explain it. English Pavlova trifle.
that looks like a heavenly dessert. i have never heard of eton mess… they don’t look anything like mess, but beautiful. your pics are droolworthy asmita.
Mess could be looking so gorgeous!
A divine dessert! So summery and British.
Cheers,
Rosa
What a gorgeous treat, and I love the colours:)
I love desserts that you can have on hand for unexpected company or last-minute dinner plans. I actually have raspberries and whip cream in my fridge, so it would be quite easy to make this. Thanks for the inspiration.
That’s great. Thank you.
Such a simple dessert, but so impressive looking!
Love Eton Mess and these look amazing!!
This is such a beautiful dessert and it looks light, airy and refreshing. Perfect on a hot summers day!
What a nice dessert…so elegant, nice combination. Beautiful colors as well.
Hope you are having a nice week Asmita
Absolutely stunning, A! Berries and dollops of cream! Doesn’t get better than that!
Hi Asmita – I never heard of it being made with fruit sauce before but it looks like a great idea. When I posted eton mess some months ago I decided then that the next time I made it I would keep the meringue separate until the very last moment otherwise it really does go soft quite fast, but I guess if it’s just for an hour or so it’s ok.
Beautiful “mess”
Your dessert looks so light and beautiful…perfect for summer.
I smiled as soon as I saw this. I just love Eton Mess. It’s one of my most favourite desserts and it’s one of those desserts that takes so little time. In summer I make it with mangoes and passionfruit but your raspberry version is delicious. xx
So cool and colorful. What a great summer dessert!
ooh, this sounds lovely + i love that you could use the fresh summer berries that are in season now for this dish. yum!
What a gorgeous dessert! I’ll bet this was a big hit!
Such a nice recipe! So great for this time of the year. This is one of those recipes I kinda sorta knew about but never made. And it’s so easy! Really nice – thank you.
It looks easy enough to do but it looks quite elegant!
ASMITA! How was the rest of your trip in India?? Love your pics- not much a fan of meringues but berries & cream are absolutely delish!
Thanks Khushboo. Trip to India was fantastic! Always fun to spend time with family and eat lots of good food. It was so nice to connect in Mumbai with you. I hope next time we get a chance to meet.
So pretty! Love the fresh berries – so light and perfect for summer!
I always read about Eton Mess in British novels, but wasn’t quite sure what it was. This looks delicious–and so colorful from the raspberries.
What an elegant looking dessert!!
looks delicious, will try sometime.. I really like easy breezy desserts…
I need a spoon that penetrates computer screens! YUM
Hi Asmita, you just inspired me to make Eton Mess
Tell me something, how many does this recipe serve?
Hi,
This serves around 6 people.
I’ve been meaning to make this, too…and your gorgeous presentation has me dying to dig in! Just beautiful!
Wow, what a “mess”. I love it with raspberries!
I love Eton Mess!! It is so much fun to make and eat
Looks really beautiful. Such a girly dessert 
What a luscious treat! I love anything with raspberries, and would love a big spoon to gobble this up.
Beautiful presentation..those glasses with the Eton mess look lovely!
i like how you’ve served it in glasses.. because the times when i’ve seen …its just on a plate.. and really looks like a mess…
.. this looks really beautiful and vibrant!!
Thank you.
Cute mess, I guess non of us would mind having such a mess once in a while
, loved those glasses and the color of Eton mess so inviting!!!
Thanks Anamika,
Hi Asmita, thank you so much for visiting my blog!
I love eton mess – I don’t have any reason to make it as pretty and neat as a pav, but it tastes just as good – if not better! I once heard that its origin was from an excited labrador that sat on a pavlova on an Eton ceremony, heheh (but who knows?!)
That’s an awesome dessert, that’s one mess I wouldn’t mind having right now! Beautiful photos too!