Meringue just is something special I think. So light and crunchy and sweet. It’s the perfect base for the whipped cream and fresh strawberries that come together to make the eton mess holy trinity. In this recipe I serve it in mini pavlova form where everyone gets one delicious meringue disc each. The meringue itself is made with chickpea water, or aquafaba as it’s called, to replace the traditional egg whites and it sounds strange but works a treat. With a little whisking patience you can make the most light meringue. I made this recipe with a three course menu in mind that starts with these marinated beetroot discs with cheesy cashew cream followed by this lemon risotto. Check out the video below for the full menu in motion. Enjoy!

Malin x

Eton Mess Mini Pavlovas

Serves 5.

INGREDIENTS:

For the meringue:

100 ml aquafaba (measured from a can/carton of chickpeas and chilled in the fridge for a couple of hours)

1 tsp corn starch

0,25 tsp vanilla powder

140 g sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

To serve:

125 ml vegan cream for whipping, whipped

1 punnet of fresh strawberries

5 sprigs of fresh mint

Edible flowers, optional

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 110 degrees celsius fan assisted.

Mix aquafaba with an electrical hand whisk for 8-10 minutes to create a fluffy texture. Whisk continuously as you add in the corn starch first, then the vanilla powder and then gradually spoon in your sugar one spoonful at a time. Beware of any clumps in the sugar, simply break them apart before adding to the bowl. This sugar whipping process should take roughly 5 minutes. After this it should be a firm white fluff that forms stiff peaks. It should be firm enough that you can pick it up on a spatula and for it not to fall off, or move at all really, when you turn the spatula upside down. To complete the meringue mixture add your cream of tartar and whisk for another 3 minutes to really solidify the firm texture.

Line two baking sheets with baking paper and dollop five equal amounts of the meringue fluff onto it. Spread them out with a spatula until they are 10-12 cm in diameter. Place the sheets in the oven and turn the heat down to 100 degrees celsius. Bake for 90 minutes, make sure not to open the oven during the baking process. You can check on the meringues after 75 minutes by opening the oven hatch and touching the meringue with a finger. It should feel dry to the touch. If it is sticky keep baking it for the full 90 minutes. Then turn the oven off while leaving the meringues inside. Let them slowly cool for about 3-4 hours or over night. This allows the meringues to thoroughly dry out and keep their shape.

Chop two thirds of your strawberries into little pieces and reserve the smaller ones to decorate with whole. Half a couple of them as well if you like the way I’ve decorated mine.

When you are ready to serve top each meringue with whipped vegan cream and spread it out all the way to the edge. Spread some of the chopped strawberries on top of the cream and then decorate with whole and halved strawberries, mint and edible flowers if you are using them. Serve right away. Vegan meringues are a little more sensitive to others and have a tendency to collapse if left with the topping on for too long so serve straight away and enjoy.

cream dessert eton mess meringue pavlova strawberry