Eton Mess with Strawberries
Ingredients
- 32 ounces strawberries, hulled (2 pints) divided
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
- 3 1/2 ounces vanilla meringue cookies
Instructions
- Slice 4 ounces of the strawberries and set aside for the end.
- Quarter the remaining strawberries and place HALF of them in a medium bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to roughly smash them until you have a chunky puree. Set aside.
- Add the remaining quartered strawberries to a small saucepan, combine with sugar and water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened and the fruit has softened, 7 to 9 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl to cool completely. When cool, mix the reserved chunky puree together.
- Right before serving, make the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, combine the chilled whipping cream and vanilla. Using a hand mixer, whisk at medium speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the yogurt and whisk at medium speed again until the mixture returns to stiff peaks, about 30 seconds.
- Crush the cookies so there is a variety of sizes but most pieces are small. Gently fold in the most of the crushed cookies, reserving a few tablespoons for garnish.
- In 8 small glass serving bowls or cups, layer the strawberry puree and cream mixture, followed by more of the strawberries.
- Topping: Top the mixture with the sliced strawberries and sprinkle the reserved meringue cookies on top.
Notes
I used cookies from Trader Joe’s and this ended up being 14 cookies. 3 ounces is good for the cream mixture, and having a few for garnish was a nice touch.
I substituted dairy free whipped cream (truwhip) for the heavy cream+greek yogurt mixture, which still made for a light and flavorful dessert.