Lemon Blueberry Eton Mess
lemon curd + blueberry elderflower compote + vanilla wafer meringues
Greetings from summer dessert season! This is truly my very favorite time of the year—when peaches start popping up at grocery stores, cherries make an appearance (for a billion dollars a pound of course), and the best berries of the year begin to grace us with their presence.
Martin got home from work on Monday and I immediately assaulted him with the idea to go strawberry picking RIGHT THEN because who knows how long farms will have strawberries and they could possibly be gone tomorrow so we must drive 40 minutes in rush hour to keep from missing the very brief, perfectly ripe, peak strawberry picking window. The flat of warm, fragrant strawberries we brought home reminded us that it was worth the spontaneous trek.
My one problem with peak berry season is that I have trouble baking with them because they are just so so good fresh and I sometimes feel that tucking them into batter covers up their perfect flavor. I find I’d much rather cook them into jams or macerate them and spoon them on top of something (pound cake, ice cream, whipped cream, etc.) where all of their seasonality can shine.
So here’s a recipe to spotlight your great summer berries. I created this one with blueberries before my great strawberry haul, but it would be equally delicious with strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. Each of the components can be made ahead of time and stored for a few days, making it the ideal dessert for all of your outdoor/backyard hangs.
what is an eton mess?
Just that—a mess. An eton mess is a British dessert that originated at Eton College during their annual cricket tournaments. It’s the sloppier, more casual brother of the pavlova and consists of a crunchy meringue, some sort of fruit, and whipped cream haphazardly layered into jars or bowls to make it more handheld (read: cricket match friendly).
I prefer the eton mess to pavlovas for two reasons: 1) since the meringue is broken into shards, its much more forgiving towards cracking in the oven and 2) there’s a more even distribution of each component—no bites are too meringue forward or too fruit forward, but instead, each bite is perfectly balanced.
If I’m being honest, often when I develop a new recipe, I will taste components as I go and then take a bite or two of the final product after shooting, but I don’t usually eat a full slice or serving. For this one however, I halted all clean up and sat down on the couch, spoon in hand, and polished off an entire serving. And then had another after dinner. It’s really that good.
the components:
the lemon curd
It’s bright. It’s tart. It’s silky smooth. It’s everything you want in a curd. Curd consists of a fruit juice cooked with egg yolks for thickening and this one also incorporates a bit of cornstarch. Pro tip: whisk your sugar and cornstarch together first in order to break up any lumps and avoid clumpy curd.
the blueberry compote
I used frozen wild blueberries for this recipe because I had a giant bag in the freezer that needed to be eaten. You could use any berry you’d like, fresh or frozen. I love the way St. Germaine elderflower liquor pairs with berries, but if you don’t have any, you can do without—I would just sub in a tablespoon or two of lemon juice.
the meringue
In pavlovas, meringue is baked very low and gently to maintain its snowy white color and prevent any cracking. For this meringue, I wanted a bit more browning and caramelized flavor, so I spread it into a thinner layer and baked it at a slightly higher temperature. I also folded in a bunch of crunched up vanilla wafer cookies (the kind with the cream in the middle), but you could use any cookie you’d like—gingersnaps would be great in this.
lemon blueberry eton mess
serves 8-10
Ingredients:
for the lemon curd:
175 ml (3/4 cup) lemon juice, from about 6 lemons
1 tbsp lemon zest
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar, divided
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
for the blueberry elderflower compote:
8 oz blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 oz (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
2 tbsp St. Germaine liquor
pinch of salt
for the vanilla wafer meringue
2 egg whites
100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
3 oz vanilla wafer cookies, crumbled
whipped cream, for serving
Procedure:
to make the lemon curd:
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine lemon juice and half of the sugar and bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar.
While the lemon juice is heating, whisk together the remaining half of the sugar and the cornstarch to break up any clumps. Add the eggs and egg yolks and the lemon zest and whisk to form a smooth paste.
While whisking continually, gradual stream the hot liquid into the egg/sugar mixture. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and return to the heat.
Cook, stirring continually, until the curd begins to thicken and a few bubbles begin to appear on the surface.
Remove from heat and pour the curd through a sieve into a clean bowl. Whisk in the butter until melted and emulsified.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to prevent the formation of a skin and chill. Curd can be made up to 3 days ahead of time.
to make the blueberry elderflower compote:
Combine all of the compote ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until blueberries are broken down, sugar has dissolved, and mixture has thickened.
Transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Compote can be made up to a week ahead.
to make the vanilla wafer meringue:
Preheat the oven to 300° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and begin whipping on medium speed until frothy.
When the whites are frothy, continue to whip and begin streaming in the sugar, followed by the lemon juice. Increase the mixer speed to high and whip until medium peaks form.
Add about 2/3 of the cookie crumbs into the meringue and gently fold with a rubber spatula to disperse.
Spread the meringue into an even layer on the prepared pan, top with the remaining cookie crumbs and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until meringue is lightly golden and dry to the touch.
Once it has cooled completely, break the meringue into pieces and store in an airtight container. Meringue can be made up to 3 days ahead.
to assemble and serve:
Dollop spoonfuls of lemon curd into small jars or bowls. Layer with whipped cream, a spoonful of blueberry compote, and shards of meringue.