Making eton mess for the first time....

[littleredsquirrel]

Can I put it together in advance or am I best to get the igredients ready and then whack it all in just before serving?

Its for a dinner party and so I want to do as much as possible in advance.

Any other tips gratefully received although it seems pretty foolproof (says Littleredsquirrel setting herself up for an eton mess disaster!)

meringue will go soggy before hand, construct at table for oohs and aahs

agree with cyb - last minute, and gentle handling. I think it should be rough and chunky, not small bits and smooth.

I wouldn't make it the day before but a couple of hours ahead would be fine IMO

No absolutley not.

Just prepare the cream, the red berry Sauce, the strawberries washed hulled and cut before hand and store in fridge. Keep the meringue in a plastic bag so it does not go soggy in a humid atmosphere if you are cooking.

I just assemble it all into tall desert glasses after the main course at the table or central island in our kitchen in front of guests as they take a rest after main course.

Soak the strawberries in kirsch for extra kick and grate plain dark 70% chocolate over for a variation.

Its a mess so is a no fail dish even if doing it in front of guests.

Sauce? Sauce?

\habbs said it

Calm down - I dont mean shop bought sauce.

I mean the pureed fruit and icing sugar to create the marbelled effect.

I refer you to Delia:

"...When you're ready to make the pudding, chop half the strawberries and place them in a blender together with the icing sugar. Whiz the whole lot to a purée, then pass it through a nylon sieve to remove the seeds.

... gently fold in all but about 2 tablespoons of the purée to give a marbled effect. "

Meh. Delia's a fool. Just fruit, cream and meringue. Anything else is a travesty - and too sweet, surely?

I mean, of course, that Delia is allegedly a fool.

sauce is good, and I sometimes stick a squeeze of lime in to stop it being too sweet. It's yummy.

You heathens. Don't put sauce in. Then it won't be too sweet - it's not a sundae.

The Sunday Times recipe has puree and Nigella uses pomegranate juice.

I prefer a mix of raspberry and strawberry for the puree sauce.

Without puree it is far too dry.

No, no no - you must be overwhipping your cream. And you want Fife strawberries - very juicy atm!

Nigella always overeggs the pudding, bless her. And the Sunday Times is for the overindulgent (!)

We need someone from eton, don't we?

Delia also has a lovely mango fool.

Ladies Ladies you're confusing me now. Remember I've never done this before!

Now personally I was going to go down the strawberry and rsapberry sauce route on the basis that this would PREVENT it from being too sweet. Strawberries are in season and so they have lots of flavour. Have I got it all wrong?

I thought this one would be within my capabilities but now I'm wondering!

Presumably I can do the meringue in advance?

Don't bother making your own meringue. Buy from M&S.

Ooo short cuts, that's good for me! Will ready made meringues not be a bit hard though?

M&S do a lovely chewy one, not the one in a cardboard box. It's in a plastic box. Asda does a similiar one which I think is just as good.
Personally I believe it's a waste making meringue just to crumble it up into a mess. If you're going to go to the trouble of making your own, a pavlova is a far nicer use of it!

Oh, absolutely use bought meringue. They need to be a wee bit hard on the outside, as they soften up in the cream quite quickly, and you need the contrasting textures. Agree that M&S ones are good, but I like the cardboard box ones too, tbh.

A sauce like Beta suggests would add sweetness, as it includes icing sugar. If you want to sharpen it, add some fresh raspberries if you can lay your hands on them, otherwise just unsweetened cream, fruit and meringue will be perfect.