STRAWBERRY ETON MESS

By Chef Richard G

This is a pretty timely recipe from Chef Richard, since the Queen’s Jubilee is being celebrated in the UK in June and this is a very traditional English dessert. A classic recipe with a bit of a twist using juicy and delicious strawberries that taste their best at this time of year.

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

200ml Double Cream 1 Punnet of Strawberries Icing Sugar A few blackberries to serve

Meringue 150g Egg White 255g Icing Sugar White Wine Vinegar Lemon (halved)

Mint Sugar (optional) Bunch of Mint leaves (picked) Egg white Icing Sugar

Strawberry Syrup ½ Punnet Fresh Strawberries (hulled, and roughly chopped) 150ml Water 150g Sugar

Poached Strawberry ½ Punnet Fresh Strawberries (hulled, and roughly chopped) 1 Vanilla Pod 2tbsp Sugar Dash of Dessert wine (or water)

Honeyed Oats 250g Oats 2tbsp Honey 2tbsp Oil

METHOD

Meringue Rub the bowl with the lemon. Whisk the egg whites (much easier with an electric whisk) with a dash of White Wine Vinegar until stiff. Slowly add the icing sugar, a couple of spoons at a time, until thick and glossy. Pipe onto parchment/silpat so the meringues look like iced gems. Place into a preheated oven at around 70 degrees, or alternatively into a hot plate. The meringue will slowly dry out, test them every so often by placing one on a cool surface for a couple of minutes before trying. Keep in an airtight container.

Mint Sugar (Optional) Whisk together equal parts egg white and icing sugar (only a small amount) until combined. Dip the mint leaves in the mixture and then place on a tray lined with silpat. Place in the oven set at 180 degrees for 1-2 minutes, then place in a warm dry place (an airing cupboard is perfect) until the leaves are dry and brittle (this may take some time). Blitz in a food processor. Keep in an airtight container.

Strawberry Syrup Place all the ingredients in a saucepan, cook until the strawberries are soft and have coloured and flavoured the liquid. Strain through a fine sieve (don’t squeeze the mix too hard or the pulp will cloud the syrup). Store in a squeezy bottle.

Poached Strawberry Place all the ingredients in a saucepan (scraping the seeds out of the vanilla pod). Cook until the strawberries just soften. Place in the fridge to cool.

Honeyed Oats Combine all ingredients (feel free to add seeds or nuts if you like, and a little more oil and honey if the mix seems very dry) and bake at 180 degrees until golden brown. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

To Serve Whip 200ml of double cream with a spoon of icing sugar. When thickened, but not too thick (a nice, light, fluffy texture is what you’re looking for) fold in the poached strawberries. Hull and slice a punnet of strawberries. Take a small kilner jar, or a nice glass and sprinkle with honeyed oats and a little strawberry syrup. Add a little of the cream, a few slices of fresh strawberry, a few mini meringues and then sprinkle with the oats and add a little more syrup. Repeat this process 3 times and finish by sprinkling a little of the mint sugar and garnishing with fresh mint leaves and a few strawberries and blackberries.