Crispy, melt-in-your-mouth meringues, silky smooth mascarpone/whipping cream mixture, juicy and sweet blackberries for this Blackberry Eton Mess. A great dessert to end off a perfect meal.
Although I never liked sweets that are too sweet, I've always had a soft spot for meringues. I guess it's their delicate texture that I so love, that light, melt-in-your-mouth crispy sweetness. Here, crumbled up and paired with the silky, soft, lightness of a mascarpone whipped cream and topped with seasonal, sweet and juicy blackberry become a beautiful Blackberry Eton Mess.
We used egg yolks for a dish that we made and ended up with some egg whites that needed to be used. Trying to use up what we have and don't waste food is always in the backdrop of our minds. When I think of egg whites, I immediately envision meringues, a cookie jar filled with meringues for our sweet cravings. And so, cute little French meringues came to be. In the French meringues, very fine white sugar, or better icing sugar (I used a mix of both) is beaten into room temperature egg whites until peaks are stiff and glossy. While in the Italian meringues the sugar is boiled and the liquid is then whipped into the stiffly beaten egg whites until stiff and glossy. Why not do the Italian version you might ask, since you're Italian? 🙂 . Good question, but I've always done French meringues and wanted to stick to what I know. Plus, I thought it was kind of nice to have French meringues for an English dessert, with an Italian touch (the mascarpone) 😉 .
Surprisingly easy Blackberry Eton Mess
In my meringues I never add salt to the egg whites, it destabilizes the foam that it's forming while beating the egg whites, and I always add a touch of vanilla and some lemon juice. Lemon juice takes out that distinct yet not too appealing smell of egg whites and it whitens the meringues. I don't use cream of tartar, nor vinegar (which I don't like) but feel free to use either one in place of the lemon juice or use your safe meringue recipe, if you have one. Last thought on the oven temperature, it has to be low, 200° - 225° F and the meringues need to cook for 1 hour and then left in the oven to dry for one more hour. With this recipe you will end up with many more meringues than needed. But they last a pretty long time in a cookie jar and they might lead to great inspirations for new development. You could also buy the meringues, if you want a quick dessert and don't want to fuss about the scientific method of making meringues. In the end, the result you want to achieve is a melange of texture for a delicious, gorgeous looking dessert called Eton Mess.
Our Italian flare to the Eton Mess is the mascarpone added to the whipping cream. Believe us, it takes whipping cream to a level I don't even have words for. We use this combination quite a lot in our desserts such as tiramisu and cheesecake. It makes a silky smooth cream, denser in texture, but peculiarly lighter in flavor.
We made some kind of a compote with the blackberries, some sugar and a touch of fruit juice, in a pan. We cooked them just a bit, in order to preserve the chunks of fruit but also to have some delectable juice. When arranging the dessert in the glasses we poured some of the blackberry compote at the bottom, crumbled up the meringue on top of it, spooned a generous amount of mascarpone/whipping cream mixture and finished with some more blackberry compote. What can I say, they were incredibly good, light and silky, creamy and crispy, juicy and sweet. Every spoonful had us rolling our eyes in delight.
Song of the day, a beautiful old Coldplay song, "The Scientist".
Enjoy this scrumptious dessert and your day!
PrintBlackberry Eton Mess
Crispy, melt-in-your-mouth meringues, silky smooth mascarpone/whipping cream mixture, juicy and sweet blackberries for this Blackberry Eton Mess. A great dessert to end off a perfect meal.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 glasses 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French, English
Ingredients
French Meringues
- 4 organic egg whites
- 100 g (about ½ cup) white sugar
- 100 g (about ½ cup) icing sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Eaton Mess
- ½ cup mascarpone
- ¾ cup whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 4 medium sized meringues
- ⅔ cup fresh blackberries
- ½ Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp fruit juice of your choice
Instructions
Meringues:
- Preheat oven to 225° F.
- In a bowl, using a handheld mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks are formed.
- Gradually add sugar, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until egg whites reach stiff peaks. Mixture should be smooth and glossy.
- On a parchment lined baking tray pipe (or spoon) meringues into a circular cookie shape.
- Bake for one hour, turn off the oven and let the meringues rest in the oven for another hour.
Eton Mess:
- In a pan over low heat add the blackberries and the fruit juice. Let it simmer for 5 minutes until it thickens a bit then set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, in a bowl, using a handheld mixer, whip the whipping cream with the sugar. Add the mascarpone and whip until smooth and well incorporated.
- Pour some of the blackberry compote at the bottom of each glass, crumble up the meringue, add a spoonful of mascarpone/whipping cream mixture and finish off with more blackberry compote.
Notes
If you make the meringues, you will have more meringues than needed for this Eton Mess glasses. They keep well for a week if stored in an airtight container, so you can make the meringues days before preparing the dessert.
If you use store bought meringue the dessert is ready in 10-15 minutes.
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I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Hilary says
I love a good Elton Mess, and your blackberry version sounds and looks delicious!
Thank you Hilary, it was delicious, so creamy and crispy at the same time. Gotta love those little spoon desserts 🙂 .
Ksenia @ At the Immigrant's Table says
This would make a perfect dessert to a summer backyard party, when everyone is enjoying the weather, feeling laid back and just looking for something simple to sweeten their palette!
I had not thought that it would actually make a perfect backyard summer party dessert. Simple to make if you buy meringues (or make them days in advance) and just assemble it when your guests arrive 🙂 . Thank you Ksenia, for stopping by!
Julia says
First of all, all the picture are beautiful! Second, I bet they are delicious. I never thought to add lemon to meringue, I usually add a splash of vinegar. Now I am going to try lemon, because I am sure it is better. Beautiful dessert!
Oh thank you Julia, you're too nice! They were indeed delicious. As per the lemon juice, this is my Italian heritage speaking 🙂 . Plus, I don't use or like vinegar. Next time you make them try to replace it and see if you taste or see the difference. Would love to know.
Marisa @ Marisa's Italian Kitchen says
I have never made meringues before, not Italian nor French. You have inspired me to try them soon! And your Blackberry Eton Mess looks exquisite!!
Hi Marisa, meringues are a favorite of mine since childhood. You're going to love them, hope you try making some. Thanks so much for your comment!
Cristina @ I Say Nomato says
This sounds incredible! It has so many of my favourite things. My Italian Nonna always made meringues the French way too. The addition of the mascarpone just makes it so special. Yum!
Thank you Cristina, the flavors are really amazing. Happy to hear that your italian nonna made meringues the french way too 😉 .
Cassie | Crumb Kitchen says
This looks fantastic, Nicoletta! I have a soft spot for meringues as well. Those little pillows of deliciousness are so hard to resist. And when you mix them with mascarpone, whipped cream and blackberries? YES PLEASE! 😀
I cannot resist meringues ????. Glad I'm not the only one on this ????. Thank you for stopping by Cassie!
Sean says
I completely agree with you re: sweet desserts... and on the subject of meringue for that matter. I also have a strange fondness for British meals and desserts with strange names (including this one). Fools and messes - great to say, fun to eat.
Wonderful work as always you two.
Thanks so much Sean, your comments are always a treat.
Demeter | Beaming Baker says
Oh my! Nicoletta, that was my first response upon seeing these beautiful eton messes. 🙂 To call these a mess is so playful and fun. I love it! So funny that you don't normally like sweets, but that you have a soft spot for meringues. Could it be because they're so light? 🙂 As usual, you've created a beautiful dessert. Love that this is gluten free--I've pinned this to my Gluten Free Foods board. 🙂 Hope you have an amazing week! Same to Loreto! xo
Hi Demeter! No, I like sweets, a lot, but not the "too sweet" kind (like fudge, nanaimo bars, some cheese cakes, some layered cakes with tons of icing, etc), but meringues, they're light and melt in your mouth... 🙂 . Thanks so much for pinning it and leaving your lovely comment! Have a wonderful week!