Peach Strawberry Eton Mess

Peach Strawberry Eton mess is a summery dessert made with peaches, berries, meringue cookies and whipped cream.

Disclaimer: This post and recipe was created as part of #SummerDessertWeek. I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies, but opinions are 100% my own.

Depending on who you ask, Peach Strawberry Eton Mess either sounds really fancy, or really messy. Fortunately neither are true! Instead, Eton Mess is actually really easy to make and not all that fancy at all.

I absolutely love these adorable, individual little desserts! They just scream "summertime" to me. Fresh peaches and strawberries are mixed with homemade whipped cream and a sugary meringue cookie? What could be better? I chose to make the dessert from scratch, with homemade meringues and whipped cream, but feel free to use the store-bought alternatives.

What is Peach Strawberry Eton Mess?

Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert made in the summertime, featuring strawberries, egg-white meringue cookies and fresh whipped cream. The name "Eton" comes from it being served at Eton College for the annual cricket match. In this version, I add fresh peaches to the dessert but it otherwise remains the same.

🥘 Ingredients for this recipe

• peaches
• strawberries
• sugar
• meringue cookies, homemade or store-bought, crushed
• heavy whipping cream, homemade or store-bought

🔪Instructions for this recipe

• First, by preparing the fruit. Peel the peach, remove the pit and dice into small pieces. Place in a dish, sprinkle with a tiny bit of sugar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Next, hull and dice strawberries, toss with sugar, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Then assemble the Eton Mess. Start by layering peaches, strawberries and some of their juices in the bottom of a serving jar or glass. Then, add crushed up meringue cookies, followed by a dollop of whipped cream. Repeat the process until the jar or glass is full and top with a whole meringue cookie.

How to make meringue cookies

For a detailed version, view my meringue recipe. Beat the whites of 2 room temperature eggs in a stand mixer on medium for 2 minutes. Add ¼ teaspoon of cream of tartar and a pinch of salt and beat another 2 minutes until they're foamy. Then add in ½ cup caster sugar*, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until shiny, stiff peaks form (about 7 minutes).

Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe 24 meringues onto parchment paper. Bake in a preheat 225 degrees oven for 45 minutes. When done, don't open the oven door and let cool in the oven for 90 minutes.

*Caster sugar: caster sugar is finely ground granulated sugar. If you can't find it in stores, simply pulse granulated sugar in a food processor for 10-15 seconds.

How to make fresh whipped cream

Add 16 oz. of heavy whipping cream to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, then add in ½ cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture thickens, resembling whipped cream.

FAQ's and Substitutions

• What's the difference between Eton Mess and Pavlova? The ingredients that make up the meringue. Meringue cookies are made with sugar and egg whites and crushed up in an Eton Mess. A Pavlova has egg whites, sugar, cornstarch and vinegar. Pavlova is typically served in the shape of a cake, for a crowd, while Eton Mess is an individual dessert.
• Can Eton Mess be prepared in advance? The individual components can be (meringue cookies, fresh whipped cream, macerated berries) but the dish should be assembled right before serving.
• Can you buy the ingredients for an Eton Mess? Yes, you absolutely do not need to make the meringue cookies or whipped cream from scratch like I did in this recipe. You can find egg white meringue cookies in most bakery sections of the grocery store and either canned whipped cream or frozen cool whip (slightly thawed) will work in this recipe.
• Substitutions: use only strawberries, a combination of berries, other stone fruits like apricots or plums, or go tropical with fruits like kiwi and pineapple.

 

Recipe

Welcome to this year's #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. You're going to be in for a treat this year because we have 28 blogs/bloggers creating summer themed dessert recipes all week! We're sharing them with the hashtag #SummerDessertWeek on social media and you'll find some of the links in this post as well. Plus, we also have some great giveaways for you this week thanks to our amazing sponsors!

Scroll down to take a look!

PRIZE #1

Prize #1 — Dixie Crystals is giving away 1 (one) 4.2 Quart (4 Liter) Electric Air Fryer

PRIZE #2

Prize #2 — Circulon is giving away a TOTAL BAKEWARE 6-Piece Nonstick Bakeware Set - Two 9-Inch Round Cake Pans, 9-Inch Square Cake Pan, 9-Inch x 5-Inch Loaf Pan, 9-Inch x 13-Inch Rectangular Cake Pan, 10-Inch x 15-Inch Cookie Pan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 years or older.. All entries will be verified. No PO Boxes Please. Prizes will be sent directly from sponsors to winners, bloggers are not responsible for prizes. This giveaway runs from July 26th until July 31st at 11:59PMEST. Winners will be selected soon afterwards and contacted by e-mail. Winners will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. There are a total of 2 (two) prizes and therefore we will have a total of 2 (two) winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Disclaimer: These posts and recipes are part of the week long event, #SummerDessertWeek but all opinions are 100% mine! We would like Thank our amazing sponsors: Dixie Crystals and Circulon. These wonderful sponsors provided the prize packs for our giveaways and also sent samples and products to the #SummerDessertWeek bloggers to use in their recipes.