Strawberry Eton Mess

Ok so I know we are here to talk Eton Mess and more specifically Strawberry Eton Mess.....did I mention it also involves Cherry Brandy???

But firstly I want to deviate from that for just a quick second to talk rice.

Yes rice which has absolutely nothing to do with Eton Mess except that my Mum cooked both the Eton Mess and the rice so that's my link and I'm sticking to it.

Did you know you could get black rice??

When Mum dished this black rice dish up to us a few weeks ago, I must admit the first thought that went through my head was that she was a little heavy handed with the soy sauce....

Imagine my surprise when I discovered there was no soy sauce in there whatsoever, it was just the colour of the rice. To me, it tasted a little like brown rice and with the red onion, capsicum, spinach, mushroom, paneer and some herbs it was absolutely delicious and apparently very nutritious as well!

Anyway, now that I have got that out of my system, lets get back to what we are all here for.....DESSERT!!!

Mum and Dad whipped this up the other night and it was amazing. I must say I have never had cherry brandy before and was a little concerned about it being in amongst the delicate flavours of the berries and meringue and cream but it worked beautifully and was a great twist on an old classic!

Strawberry Eton Mess - Serves 4

150ml thickened cream
150ml vanilla greek yoghurt
2 tbspns of vanilla sugar + 2 tbspns extra
4 tbspns of cherry brandy
2 punnets (500g in total) of strawberries
1 punner (250g in total) of raspberries
4 x meringue nests, crushed

Cut the strawberries in half. Combine the strawberries and raspberries in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tbspns of the vanilla sugar and the cherry brandy. Leave to macerate for 15-20 mins if you want a thick mixture or around an hour if you prefer a more sauce like consistency. (Note - we tried it with the second option and it was delicious!)

Remove 4 tbspns of the berry mixture for garnish. Lightly crush up the remainder of the berries and set aside.

Whip the cream until thick and add fold through the yoghurt and remaining vanilla sugar.

To serve combine the crushed berries with the cream mixture and then gently fold through the meringues. Divide the mixture between 4 glasses and top with the reserved berries. This dish is best eaten immediately as the meringues will soften and lose their crunch.

Enjoy!!

Mrs B xx