Eton mess -- Britain's luscious mixture of berries, whipped cream and broken meringue cookies -- takes its name from the English boarding school, where it is served during cricket matches. All the ingredients are layered in a jar, which gives the dessert an appealing premise.
The problem is, it tends to be one-note sweet and lacking in nuance.
For our version, from our book "COOKish," which limits recipes to just six ingredients without sacrificing flavor, we included one unusual flavor booster -- sherry vinegar. The tartness brings a lovely balance to the sweetness of the meringues and mimics some of the acid found in many berries.
To ease prep, we use store-bought meringue cookies, toast them under the broiler, and layer them with whipped cream studded with cherries and chopped chocolate. Frozen cherries make this dessert a breeze to put together; we chop, then soften the fruit by microwaving the pieces with sugar and the vinegar.
The result is a delicious blend of textures and sweet-and-sour flavors, all put together in elegant layers that make this dessert only seem like it was a lot of work.
Eton Mess With Cherries And Chocolate
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
2 cups frozen pitted sweet cherries, thawed and chopped
⅓ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 ounces cocoa meringue OR vanilla cookies, lightly crushed (about 2 cups)
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix the cherries, sugar and vinegar. Microwave for 5 minutes, then strain, reserving the liquid; cool completely.
Heat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches from the element. Spread the meringues on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until browned, 30 to 60 seconds.
In a medium bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the reserved cherry liquid and two-thirds of the chocolate, then beat to stiff peaks. Spread half the meringues and half the cherries in a serving bowl. Top with the whipped cream, then the remaining cherries, meringues and chocolate.
