Eton Mess - with Pink Grapefruit and Olive Oil Whipped Cream

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Today’s post is a rather quick one. The whole family has been sick with yet another nursery bug (this too shall pass friends with older kids keep reminding me) so my to do list annoyingly keeps getting longer rather than shorter! But I did not want to miss the opportunity to share today’s recipe with you before citrus season is over!

Eton Mess - if you have never had one, you are in for a treat. As desserts go, it’s hard to mess up (no pun intended): chopped ripe strawberries and crunchy bits of meringue are folded into whipped cream. When done right, it’s an absolute triumph of contrasting textures and flavours between billowing clouds of barely sweetened whipped cream, the crunch of the meringue and the juicy strawberries.

As superb as the original is, Eton Mess is my kind of dessert as it lends itself perfectly to a myriad of variations - using whichever fruits happen to be in season. It also works equally well with fresh or cooked fruit (I have made a mental note of making a version using roasted apricots this summer!). The only thing you want to make sure is that whatever (fresh or cooked) fruit you are using is on the softer and juicier side (safe to say I don’t imagine an Eton Mess made with raw Granny Smith apples to be all that appealing!).

And while Eton Mess is best assembled right before eating (otherwise the meringue will start to become soft and eventually dissolve), you can prep any cooked fruit (or fruit you would like to first macerate in some sugar) and the meringue in advance (or use shop-bought meringue) and the assembly itself is quick. Meaning this is also a great dessert to keep in mind for future dinner parties.

Today’s version is a pink grapefruit one. Because we are deep into citrus season. And while I cannot do much about all the bugs my 18 months old cheerfully brings home from nursery on a weekly basis, I can try and boost my immune system by getting in some extra Vitamin C (and what better way to do so than via the medium of dessert!). I also happen to love pink grapefruits - sweeter than their yellow counterparts they still have some of that pleasing bitterness that makes your tastebuds tingle just so.

I also used a little bit of olive oil in the whipped cream. I’m a huge fan of olive oil ice cream (which is fantastic alongside fresh citrus fruits) so figured a citrussy Eton Mess made with grapefruit could only be improved if I also added a few spoons of olive oil to the whipped cream. Since olive oil is liquid at room temperature and cannot be whipped into a firm foam like cream, I also added some mascarpone for extra stability (but the final whipped cream will still be a bit on the softer side).

What is your favourite way to make the most of citrus season? Any favourite cakes or desserts or techniques I should know about?

Eton Mess with Grapefruit and Olive Oil Cream

Notes: If pink grapefruit is not your thing, the below recipe will work equally well with other citrus fruits, blood oranges in particular would be great I reckon. If so, you might want to skip the extra sugar as the blood oranges should be plenty sweet on their own. If you do not want to make your own meringue, you can use shop bought meringue nests, crushed into smaller chunks. These come in different sizes and shapes - you’ll need maybe 3-4 tablespoons worth of meringue chunks per person but no need for precision here.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the meringue

2 egg whites
115g icing sugar

For the grapefruit

2 pink grapefruit cut into segments (i.e. “supremed”)
1 tbsp sugar (or more to taste)

For the olive oil whipped cream

150ml whipping cream
150g mascarpone
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

Directions

Start by making the meringue. Pre-heat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius and line a sheetpan with parchment paper.

In a meticulously clean mixing bowl, start whipping the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add the sugar in three additions and beat the egg whites until all the sugar has been absorbed and the meringue is glossy and billowy. Spread on the parchment paper in a thin layer and bake for ca. 1.5-2hrs or until completely dry and crunchy. (Note if you choose to bake the meringue in individual shapes, the baking time may be considerably longer.) Leave to cool in the oven with the door propped open. Once cool enough to handle, break the meringue into small shards.

Add the sugar to the grapefruit and set aside to macerate until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Once ready to assemble, make the olive oil whipped cream. In a bowl, mix together the cream, mascarpone and olive oil until combined. Add the sugar and increase the speed. Beat the mixture for 3-5 minutes or until the cream has thickened considerably (not you will not be able to beat the cream to stiff peaks given the amount of olive oil in the recipe).

To serve: place 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil whipped cream each into 4 serving glasses. Add a couple of tablespoons of meringue shards followed by a couple of tablespoons of grapefruit segments. Add a further 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil into each serving glass followed by more meringue shards and the rest of the grapefruit.