Eton mess — most British dessert ever?

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***TRADITIONAL RECIPE, SERVES FOUR***

2 egg whites
1 lb (454g) fresh strawberries
1 pint (473mL) cream
1/2 cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus a little more for the cream and berries
starch
vanilla
cream of tartar (can replace with few drops of lemon juice)
salt

The night before, beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar to stiff peaks, then gradually beat in the sugar until you have a stiff, fluffy meringue. Mix in a tiny pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and deposit the meringue in dollops. Bake at 225ºF/110ºC for about an hour, until the meringues don’t look wet on the surface anymore (they should still look shiny). Turn the heat off and let the meringues sit in the oven overnight to dry.

Also ideally the night before, quarter the strawberries and put 2/3 of them in a small pot, along with a big spoon or two of sugar and a small spoon of starch. Heat until the strawberries soften and release enough liquid to dissolve the sugar and gelatinize the starch. If the pan seems too dry and is threatening to burn, splash in some water (or booze).

When the berries are just soft enough to crush, mash them with a potato masher or puree them smooth. Allow to cool fully, and reserve the uncooked berries.

The next day, stir in the raw berries with the chilled cooked berries. Crush the meringues into chunks. Whip the cream, then mix in a splash of vanilla and a little sugar to taste.

Assemble the mess right before you eat, or the meringue will dissolve. I like about two parts whipped cream to one part strawberries and one part meringue by volume, but you do you.

You can either stir all the components together or layer them into a glass, like a parfait. I like to use meringue for the top layer so those pieces stay dry and crunchy.

***CHOCOLATE & BANNA RECIPE, SERVES 4-6***

2 eggs
2-3 bananas
1 pint (473mL) cream
1/2 cup (50g) granulated sugar, plus a little more for the cream
1 cup (237mL) milk
butter
cocoa powder
starch
flour
vanilla
cream of tartar (can replace with few drops of lemon juice)
salt

The night before, separate the eggs and beat the egg whites with a pinch of cream of tartar to stiff peaks, then gradually beat in the sugar until you have a stiff, fluffy meringue. Mix in a tiny pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla, and spoon or two of cocoa powder.

Line a baking sheet with parchment and deposit the meringue in dollops. Bake at 225ºF/110ºC for about an hour, until the meringues don’t look wet on the surface anymore (they should still look shiny). Turn the heat off and let the meringues sit in the oven overnight to dry.

Also ideally the night before, put the egg yolks in a small pot with about a tablespoon of starch, a teaspoon of flour, a tiny pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla and just enough of the milk to help you whisk this unto a smooth paste. Whisk in the rest of the milk and bring to a boil, whisking constantly until it is thick and bubbling. Whisk in a couple tablespoons of butter then chill completely. That’s pastry cream.

The next day, whip the cream, then mix in a splash of vanilla and a little sugar to taste. Mix the whipped cream with a roughly equal quantity of the pastry cream by volume.

Crumble the meringues into chunks and slice the bananas. Assemble the mess right before you eat, or the meringue will dissolve. For this version I like about three parts creme diplomat (the cream mixture) to one part banana slices and one part meringue by volume, but you do you.

You can either stir all the components together or layer them into a glass, like a parfait. I like to use meringue for the top layer so those pieces stay dry and crunchy.