Cook the Book Fridays: Eton Mess from Everyday Dorie

This week’s recipe for Cook the Book Fridays comes from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, Everyday Dorie and is one of my favourite dishes to eat – Eton Mess. As you can see from my photo, I embraced the “mess” part of the title too LOL!

What is Eton Mess?

According to Wikipedia, it’s  “a traditional Englishdessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream. First mentioned in print in 1893, it is commonly believed to originate from Eton College and is served at the annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School.”  The Kitchn says: “Think of it as a deconstructed strawberry shortcake — crunchy meringue cookies stand in as a delicious alternative to cake, and instead of stacking, you get to toss everything together.”

What is Dorie’s Eton Mess?

Dorie explains her creative process (she is constantly asking “What if…” as she develops recipes) beautifully in this article and says: “The mess, a traditional British dessert — its name comes from its having been served at Eton College, the boys’ boarding school — is composed of meringue, strawberries and whipped cream. I made the dessert conventionally for a while, and then, when rhubarb turned up alongside strawberries in the market, I cooked the two into a compote, and it proved a good companion to the other stalwarts. Oh, and as long as I was fiddling, I folded some speculoos-type spice cookies into the meringue before I spread the marshmallowy whites out on a baking sheet to dry in the oven’s low heat.”

So, Dorie is a “fiddler” in the kitchen too (and LOL was once let go from a baking job for “creative insubordination”) I fiddled with this recipe as well (it’s begging to be adapted to what you have on hand in the kitchen!).

1. I didn’t fold in any cookie crumbs to the meringue
2. I didn’t make a rhubarb strawberry compote as I had a homemade strawberry compote already in the fridge
3. I used raspberries and blueberries as the fruit instead of strawberries
4. I added some lemon curd as I had some leftover in the fridge
5. I didn’t sprinkle nuts over the top of this as I didn’t have any pistachios (and I think they would have looked best!)

Does it “work” nonetheless? Yes! Is it Dorie’s recipe? Kinda! Would she approve of “fiddling” with the recipe? I think so! (sidenote: could I have plated this better? Definitely!)

Get the recipe for Dorie Greenspan’s Eton Mess on page 279 of Everyday Dorie. Her Cranberry-Lemon Curd version can be found here.

Buy Everyday Dorie and join us cooking our way through the book!

Buy Everyday Dorie on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store geographically closest to you) Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository then join us over on Cook the Book Fridays!

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links from The Book Depository. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!

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Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Everyday Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.

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