Invisible Kitchen Special Recipe #2 – Eton Mess

Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert, which is fairly simple to make yet the results are exquisite. If you require catering in Hong Kong, this is definitely a sweet you should consider, as it is a real crowd pleaser. The dessert gets its name because it was created in the tuck shop at Eton College in the 1930s. At the time, it was made using cream or ice cream with bananas or strawberries. It would be another 40 years until meringue was added to the recipe. This is certainly one of my favourite desserts to make, which is why I am going to let you in on our secret recipe below.

So, let’s begin by taking a look at the ingredients you are going to need if you wish to create an Eton Mess that is better than the majority that are offered by companies providing food catering in Hong Kong. For the cream, you will need 100 gr of heavy cream and 10gr of caster sugar. You will also need caster sugar for the meringue – 120 gr to be precise – and you must have two eggs. For the coulis, 30gr of icing sugar is needed as are 120g fresh or frozen raspberries. Last but not least, for the strawberries you will obviously need some strawberries, approximately 50 gr., and you will need one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and, again, two tablespoons of caster sugar.

You first need to begin the process by making the meringue. To do this, heat the oven to 100C. After this, grab a baking tray and line it with greaseproof baking paper. Once you have done this, crack the eggs into a bowl and mix them until stiff peaks have formed. While you are whisking the eggs on full power, you should add the sugar, but make sure you do so gradually. You will know that the mixture is ready when it is glossy and stiff. If you using a piping bag, place the mixture inside and pipe into meringues that are about half an inch in terms of height. If you are not happy with the shape of the meringues, you can use two spoons to get it right.

Now you have created the meringues, it gets a lot easier. The next step is the macerated strawberries. Your strawberries need to be sliced up very thinly, i.e. not bigger than 5mm. After you have done this, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and sugar. It is also better to leave this mixture to rest for about two hours. You now need to move onto the raspberry coulis, which is also very straightforward. You are simply going to put the raspberries in a food process and wait for them to become smooth.

Finally, to mix the whip cream, simply whisk the icing sugar with the egg mixture until it holds its peak and is stiff. Making the Eton Mess is the fun part. Break up the meringue, keeping some big chunks, and mix it all together with the chopped strawberries, coulis, and whipped cream.

So, there you have it; everything you need to create a delicious Eton Mess, this is a perfect summer treat and is a highlight of our catered picnic hamper menus that can be enjoyed in any of the beautiful country parks or parks in Hong Kong.  Keep your eyes peeled for more of our secret recipes.