Lemon Blueberry Eton Mess

By MaryA.

Originally served at Eton College in strawberry season, this mix of crumbled meringues, whipped cream and fruit is a wonderful summer dessert, dazzlingly easy to make with fruit or lemon curd, and utterly delicious

Ingredients

• Meringues:
• 2 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch cream of tatar or 1/4 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Lemon curd:
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 TBSP grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup butter, quartered and softened
• To serve:
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries
• 6 mint sprigs or leaves

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from toronto24hours.ca

Preparation

Step 1

Meringues:
Line rimless baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
In clean bowl beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tarter; beat at high speed to soft peaks.
Beating hard, add sugar 2 TBSP at a time until sparkling white and glossy peaks form.
Spoon 6 mounds of meringue spaced out evenly onto baking sheet; spread into rounds a generous 1/2 inch thick.
Bake in centre of 200 F oven until dry and crisp, about 4 hours. Turn off oven; let meringues remain in oven for at least an hour or up to overnight.
(make ahead: Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If meringues get sticky, recrisp in 200 F oven letting them cool down in turned off oven).

Lemon Curd:
Meanwhile, in heatproof bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, lemon rind and juice until combined.
Set over saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking or stirring often, until thickened enough to coat back of spoon, about 8 minutes.
Remove lemon curd from heat; press through sieve into bowl.
Discard solids. Immediately stir butter, a quarter at a time, into the curd, stirring until melted and smooth.
cover surface directly with plastic wrap and refrigerated until cold.
(Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.)

To assemble, whip cream to billowy peaks; set aside.
Break each meringue into chunks and place in bottom of each of 6 dessert bowls.
Top with a sixth of the lemon curd and of the whipped cream, then a sprinkle of berries and mint sprig.