You cannot beat the summer taste of British strawberries, homemade meringues and cream. So why not indulge with these delicious Eton mess shot glass desserts. Inspired by our wedding day shot glass style desserts which went down a treat, I wanted to re-create the summer taste with homemade compote, fresh strawberries, whipped cream and a delicious added extra – a digestive biscuit base.
The buttery-biscuit base is in full swing with this dessert which adds a delightful sweet crunch alongside the soft fruits and cream. One shot is never going to be enough but satisfies that sweet tooth and makes for a fantastic centre piece after a summer bbq or family entertaining evening. This recipe is fairly simple when taken step by step and offers the ability to prepare ahead.
This Eton Mess dessert can be made in one day or over two separate days but as the meringues require the longest time in the oven, it is ideal to make these a day or two ahead and then create the fresh ingredients on the day of consumption. I have made these with vodka shot glasses but also in mojito style wide glasses too, both work well and can be either made as little shots of dessert or a full meal dessert in the larger glass. The recipe covers more than enough for both options, good for making for children and adults alike.
The best fruits for summer dessert
Like with many summer desserts, fresh seasonal fruit is ideal. British strawberries are in season from late May to mid June and are often best freshly picked or the highest quality you can get in the supermarket or farm shops. Cheap strawberries will work for the compote but ideally the sweetest are best especially for any additional decoration you may wish to add in. Blackberries came from our garden hedgerow so any foraging is welcoming for this. Raspberries will also work extremely well in this dish but naturally the darker colour comes from the Blackberry. I find that Marks and Spencer and Waitrose offers the best strawberries in the British supermarket and since we don’t get them all year round, I tend to splash out on the more expensive ones for the best and full flavour.
I can’t wait to see if you recreate this. Do share with me on Pinterest if you do or on Instagram here.
Eton Mess Shot Glass Desserts
A delicious summer shot filled with seasonal berries, fresh cream and a crunchy biscuit base.
Ingredients
Meringues
- 4 Eggs Egg Whites
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 1 tbsp White wine vinegar (For cleaning bowl before use)
Eton Mess
- 200 g Digestive Biscuits
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 bowl Strawberries
- 1 bowl Blackberries
- 4 tbsp Caster Sugar
- 400 ml Double Cream Large tub
Instructions
Meringues
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Pre-heat oven at 150C Fan
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Seperate the eggs into yolk and whites and keep whites set aside in your mixing bowl
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Ensure your equipment (mixer and bowl) are spotlessly clean with the vinegar on a piece of kitchen paper. Any egg shell or dirt will stop the meringue from forming.
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Add the egg whites to the mixer and whisk on a high speed
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Wait for the egg whites to turn white and fluffy with peaks
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Gradually add in spoonful of sugar one at a time whilst the mixer continues, allowing it to fully mix in.
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Once all the sugar is combined, ensure your mix has soft peaks, you can test this by removing the mixer and seeing if the peaks are holding their own shape or the traditional, hold about head.
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Spoon out or pipe (whichever you prefer) onto a pre-grased baking tray into small circles or swirls. Meringues don't rise or expand so you can be fairly close with these.
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Place in the oven for 2 hours at 150C. Do not open the oven during this time.
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Once cooked for two hours, turn the oven off. Leave either overnight or until the oven has completely cooled after a couple of hours.
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You'll know if the meringue has cooked properly if you have a crisp hollow noise when tapping the underneath. Ensure they are cooled before eating and store in a air-tight box for up to two weeks.
Biscuit Base
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Place 200g of digestive biscuits into a bowl (or food bag) and using a rolling pin, crush the biscuits into tiny crumbs. There should be no large pieces in here.
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Add 100g of unsalted butter to a pan and heat on a low temperature. Once the butter has melted, add your crushed biscuits and stir to coat the mix in butter.
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Optionally, you can add a spoon of golden syrup or honey here to add an extra sticky sweeteness.
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Once warm and fully combined, use a spoon and small spatula to add your biscuit base to your glasses. Ensure to press the mix down so it holds a firm base.
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Place in the fridge for a minimum of 2/3 hours to set the base.
Compote (same for both fruits)
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Add your bowl of fruit and two tablespoons of caster sugar to a pan and simmer gently on a low heat.
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Once this starts to bubble, stir frequently.
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Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the fruit has gone soft and you can coat a wooden spoon with the juices.
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Let the jam/mixture cool for up to 20 minutes before placing into a jar which will then go into the fridge until you're ready to plate up.
Whipped Cream
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Place 400ml of double cream into a mixer and whisk until the cream turns thick.
Putting together
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Once your biscuit base has set, take these out of the fridge, the base should be set but not solid.
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Start layering on top of the base by using a compote first, then a layer of cream, another layer of compote and any additional fresh fruits.
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Finish with a layer of cream and smooth the top of the glass with a spatula.
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Crush a merigne to form small peices to add on top or into the cream mix.
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Refridgerate for up to 4 hours, ideally consume immediately that day.
I hope you found this recipe useful, it is certainly one of my newest but favourite desserts. It will definitely be a crowd pleaser and it’s not difficult to do, just time consuming so be prepared to prep for this. Luckily meringues can last a while when stored correctly, so you should be able to make this easily in a lead up to a weekend bbq or lunch. Eton mess, cheesecake base, fresh strawberries and cream – this really is summer in a shot!