British Food Fortnight – Eton Mess

Method

To make the coulis:

1. Place the mixed berries, lime juice and icing sugar into a small food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Pass the berry mixture through a fine sieve and set aside for assembly.

To make the meringues:

1. Preheat the oven to 110°C (fan 100°C / Gas 1⁄4). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
2. Separate the eggs and tip the 4 large egg whites into a large mixing bowl (do not use plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
3. Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a spoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It’s important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don’t over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
4. Sift one third of the 115g of icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don’t over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy, almost like a snow drift.
5. Scoop up a heaped spoonful of the mixture and drop it in a rough round onto the baking sheet; repeat until you have 10 meringues on the baking sheet. Bake for 1 and 1⁄4 hours in a conventional or gas oven (1 and 1⁄2 to 1 and 3⁄4 hours in a fan oven), until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
6. Leave to cool on the trays or on a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.)

To assemble the dessert:

1. Whip the cream until the peaks hold when the blades are lifted.
2. Roughly crush the meringues into small pieces (not crumbs).
3. Fold the defrosted berries and crushed meringues gently into the cream to create a nice swirl effect.
4. Spoon this mixture into your glasses (try to keep it away from the sides of the glass as much as possible) and then lightly drizzle a little of the coulis over the top, allowing it to run down the sides.
5. Garnish the peak with a sprig of mint and serve.