Eton mess tarts

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Can't choose between a fruit tart and Eton mess for a simple summer dessert? Why not get the best of both worlds with these delightful Eton mess tarts from Karen Burns-Booth.

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“Eton Mess” has to be one of my favourite desserts, not only is it delicious with its swirls of whipped cream studded with “light as a feather” meringues and fresh strawberries, it’s easy to make too. Especially if you use shop bought meringues. If Eton Mess is my favourite creamy dessert, then it’s true to say that pies and tarts also score high on the pudding list, and especially fruit and berry tarts during the summer months.

So, why not combine the two and make a tart, or should I say tarts? That’s exactly what I did recently when I had a glut of strawberries, some leftover meringues and a packet of butter short crust pastry in the fridge; it was just a simple assembly job after the tart cases had been baked and were cold, and these wee Eton Mess Tarts simply flew off the table with friends and family asking for more!

You can make your own pastry and meringues of course, and I normally have a tin of home-made meringues to hand, as they make great impromptu desserts when cream and fruit is added making them a sort of mini “Pavlova”. But, when the sun shining and the children are on school holidays, and dessert is needed for an after dinner (or barbecue) treat, this is the recipe for you – it’s simple and the result is a rather posh pie!

I have shared a basic recipe for meringues (just in case you want to make your own), but if time is tight, then shop bought ones are just as good for this delectable summer dessert, as is ready-made pastry too. One tip, don’t add the Eton Mess filling to the baked tart cases until JUST before you want to serve them, as the pastry can go a bit soggy and no one wants a “soggy bottom”! I hope you enjoy these little tarts as much as we all did – they are a perfect after-dinner dessert with the minimum of fuss.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Meringues - If not making your own, use 4 large ones for the recipe

Eton mess filling

  • 350g of strawberries, hulled and roughly mashed
  • 250ml of whipping cream

Tarts

  • 350g of shortcrust pastry, homemade or shop bought
  • 4 tbsp of strawberry jam

To decorate

Method

1
If making your own meringues, preheat the oven to 130°C/gas mark 1. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper
2
In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks and gradually add the sugar until all of the sugar has been used and the meringue mixture is shiny and forms stiff peaks
3
Spoon tablespoons of the mixture onto the prepared trays and bake immediately for 40 minutes before turning the oven off and leaving to dry out for up to 1 hour. Allow to cool completely before serving or storing
4
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 5. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin with butter
5
Stamp out 12 pastry circles that are slightly bigger than the muffin holes and ease them into the muffin tin. Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Allow to cool
6
To make the filling, whip the cream until it holds its peaks. Gently add the crushed meringues and strawberries and mix to combine
7
Spoon some of the strawberry jam into the bottoms of each cooked tart case and add the Eton Mess cream filling. Top with a whole strawberry and serve straight away
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Karen Burns-Booth is a freelance food & travel writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a passion for local, seasonal ingredients.

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