Blood Orange Eton Mess
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Calling all fans of The Great British Baking Show: Have you heard of an Eton mess? It’s a traditional English dessert made with layers and layers of cloud-like crisp meringue and whipped cream. (It’s kind of like a trifle with some extra crunch and pizzazz.)
The dish is traditionally made with strawberries, but you can swap in any kind of fruit (or, ahem, vegetable). Here, recipe developer Erin McDowell upped the ante and added blood orange—and just like that, we have a new favorite dessert that just so happens to be festive for Valentine’s Day. Assemble it in individual cups or bowls (or as a freeform heart shape, if you please), then grab a spoon and don’t look back.
Ingredients
Meringue Cookies
6 large (340g) egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1⅓ cups (265g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Sprinkles, for finishing
Blood Orange Curd
4 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
½ cup (121g) freshly squeezed blood orange juice
2 tablespoons (30g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 large (212g) egg yolks
Pinch of fine sea salt
Finishing
1½ cups (345g) heavy cream
½ cup (99g) granulated sugar
½ vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 blood orange, peeled and segmented
Sprinkles or pearl sugar, for finishing
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Make the Meringue Cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until white and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, then add the vanilla extract and continue to whip to stiff peaks. The meringue should be smooth and glossy.
3. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. (Use two different sizes or shapes of star tips if you’d like to vary the effects.) Pipe one tray of small (½ inch) cookies and one tray of larger (1 inch) cookies onto the parchment paper, leaving about ½ inch between each cookie. If desired, top some or all of the cookies with sprinkles.
4. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 250°F. Bake until the cookies feel dry to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven for 1 hour.
5. Make the Curd: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, blood orange juice, lemon juice, egg yolks and salt; whisk to combine.
6. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Strain the curd into a medium bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap.
7. Finish: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla bean (or extract) to medium peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.
8. To assemble, fill six glasses with layers of whipped cream, then meringue cookies, then curd and blood orange segments. Garnish with pearl sugar or sprinkles.
Note: To assemble as a heart, use the curd to create the shape on a serving platter (at least 12 inches wide): Spoon it into the center, then use the back of the spoon to push it into a heart shape. Place the meringues over the curd, leaving space between, then fill the spaces by piping on pearls of whipped cream. Drizzle or spoon dots of curd all over the heart. Fill in the heart shape with the remaining meringues and whipped cream. Arrange the blood orange segments on top and then garnish with pearl sugar or sprinkles.
Meringue Cookies
243 calories
0g fat
59g carbs
3g protein
59g sugars
Blood Orange Curd
218 calories
15g fat
19g carbs
2g protein
18g sugars
Finishing
273 calories
21g fat
21g carbs
1g protein
20g sugars
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Note: The information shown is Edamam's estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
