Makes 6 servings
To set the record straight from the start: This is not a traditional Eton Mess. The dish, served on June Fourth at the British school Eton, is, by custom, composed of meringue, whipped cream and strawberries, usually saucy, like a compote. My reading of the classic has these elements and then some. I’ve fiddled with the meringue, adding even more crunch to it — I fold in chunkily crushed store-bought Biscoff (speculoos/spice) cookies or toasted nuts. And I’ve added a new element: a rhubarb compote mixed with fresh strawberries and spiked with lime juice and an optional splash of crème de cassis. Of course there’s whipped cream. It’s a dessert with many good textures and flavors and, because of the variety, so many surprises: Every spoonful offers delights, but no spoonful is the same as any other. (The Eton Mess in the photograph is the one made with lemon curd and cranberry jam.)
If you’re not expert at making meringue, this is the dessert for you: You just spread it out on the baking sheet — no piping or fussing — and then, when you’re ready to use it, you crumble it, so that you get what is essential in meringue — sweetness and crunch.
Working Ahead
If your kitchen is cool and dry, you can make the meringue a couple of days ahead and keep it on the counter. The compote can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. You can even sugar the berries a few hours ahead and whip the cream — put in a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator, it will be fine for a few hours. Once the dessert is assembled — minus the meringue — you can chill it in the glasses for an hour.
To make the meringue: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Push the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cornstarch through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
Working in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer (no matter what you use, make sure your tools are impeccably clean and free of even a trace of fat, grease or yolk — egg whites’ enemies), beat the whites, cream of tartar or vinegar and salt on medium-high speed until the whites form soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. It will take about 5 minutes to get all the sugar into the whites, but it will be worth your patience. After all the sugar is incorporated, add the vanilla and beat for another 2 minutes or so. You’ll have stiff, glossy, beautifully white peaks. Switch to a flexible spatula and fold in the reserved sugar-and-cornstarch mix, followed by the cookie crumbs or nuts.
Use the spatula to scoop the meringue out onto the baking sheet and spread it about ½ inch thick. Size and shape don’t matter here.
Bake the meringue, undisturbed, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It will puff and it may crack, but it shouldn’t color much (it might be pale beige here and there, and that’s fine). Turn off the heat and prop the oven door open just a crack, to let the hot air out (use the handle of a wooden spoon if necessary), and leave the meringue to finish drying for another 2 hours, or for as long as overnight. It’s ready when you can easily peel away the paper or mat. Set aside until needed. (The meringue can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept loosely covered in a dry place at room temperature.)
To make the compote: Stir the rhubarb and sugar together in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat and cook the fruit, stirring regularly, until it softens — it might fray around the edges or lose its shape, but that’s fine; the mixture should thicken like applesauce. Toss in the strawberries and cook for another 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the crème de cassis, if you’re using it, and a squirt or two of lime juice. Hold on to the lime — you might want to add more juice later. Scrape the compote into a jar or bowl, cover by pressing a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and cool to room temperature. (Once cooled, the compote can be left out for a couple of hours or refrigerated for up to 5 days.)
To assemble the dessert: A few minutes before you’re ready to put the dessert together, mix the strawberries and sugar together in a bowl and let them stand until there’s a little juice in the bowl. (You can sugar the berries a few hours ahead.)
I make the Mess in dessert coupes, but any bowl, jar or parfait glass will do. For each serving, start with a couple of spoonfuls of the compote. Add a few spoonfuls of whipped cream and top with some berries and a little more cream. (You can make the Mess up to this point, cover it and refrigerate for up to 1 hour.) Crumble meringue generously over the dessert. You will probably have compote and meringue left over, and that’s a good thing. Serve immediately, while the meringue still has all its crunch.
Storing: The dessert is really best served as soon as it’s constructed.
Choices: This dessert can go high or low: You can layer it prettily in dessert coupes or parfait glasses and serve it at your fanciest dinner or you can pile it up in a bowl and serve it with a big spoon. The ingredients are inherently beautiful, so the Mess will look great no matter how you combine them.
Replace the rhubarb compote with the cranberry filling and Lemon Curd, using some of each for every portion. Instead of topping with strawberries, use raspberries — there’s no need to sugar them. I like to finish this version with a sprinkling of chopped toasted pistachios.