Eton Mess is a dessert that originated in England. It typically combines whipped cream, crushed meringues and some kind of fruit or sauce. This is a delicious way to use up any leftover meringues you might have lying around. This Caramel Apple Eton Mess pairs beautifully together as the tangy apple compote and salted caramel sauce compliments the sweet whipped cream and crushed meringues. You can substitute the salted caramel sauce and apple compote for any other sauce and/or curd. Think passion fruit sauce and lemon curd, mango sauce and orange curd or strawberry sauce and lime curd. Typically an eton mess is served messy style, by throwing everything together in a bowl and gently swirling together. I have layered mine in a glass to look fancy but it’s totally optional.
Most of the components in this recipe can be bought ready made.In fact, it’s possible for you to only have to cook the apple compote for this recipe! Most of the components; crushed meringues, whipped cream and salted caramel sauce can be bought in most supermarkets. However, I have included directions and the recipe to make your own salted caramel just in case.
To make this recipe you can follow these steps;
To begin making the apple compote, add the peeled and chopped apple, sugar and cinnamon to a small/medium sized pot. Stir to coat the apples and place on a low/medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the apples start to soften. Take care not to stir the apples too much as they can go very mushy. Leave to one side to cool.
This salted caramel sauce is one of the elements that can easily be bought in. A few options for store bought are; Gather Sea Salted Caramel Sauce, The Butlers Pantry Caramel Sauce, Carnation Dulce De Leche, Follain Irish Cream Liqueur Caramel, Bonne Maman Salted Caramel or Love a Little Sauces (if you are in Donegal). However, if you would prefer to make your own, you can follow these directions.
To start, add the sugar and water to a wide bottomed saucepan. Heat on high heat until the sugar starts to caramelise. Turn down to medium and cook till you achieve an amber colour. Add in the butter and whisk thoroughly. The sugar will start to spit and look clumpy when you add the butter, this is normal. Keep whisking and be careful not to burn yourself. Once the butter is fully incorporated, add the cream next and whisk. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until all remaining sugar crystals dissolve. Leave to cool slightly for 1-2 minutes. Add the sea salt and mix together before transferring to a jar or container to cool.
Whipped cream can be made fresh or bought already whipped from most major supermarkets. To make your own, simply add the cream and icing sugar to a large bowl. Whisk these together using a hand or electric whisk until soft peaks occur. This means the cream will have thickened and will barely hold it’s shape when moved.
This is another component you can buy already made. Most major supermarkets will sell some kind of meringue nests or pre baked meringues. If you would prefer to make your own meringue nests, you can find the base recipe here, with my Mini Gooseberry Pavlovas Recipe.
Whatever you decide on, one you had cooled meringue nests, break them up into little pieces with your hands. Be careful not to make them too small, you still want a nice crunch in the eton mess.
To start assembling, arrange your serving glasses together. Place 2-3 tbsp of crushed meringue into the base of your serving glasses. Top the meringues with a couple tbsp of whipped cream. Add 2 tbsp of salted caramel to cover the whipped cream and add 2-3 heaped tbsp of apple compote on top. If you have space, you can decorate the top with some whipped cream, salted caramel drizzled over and some more meringue. If you have a large serving glass or bowl, you can repeat the layers as many times as you would like. Serve immediately or within 2-3 hours as the meringues will start to dissolve. If not serving immediately, store in the fridge.
Honestly, there’s not a huge difference if you compare the ingredients. Both have a meringue base, whipped cream and some kind of fruit or sauce. It’s really just how it’s presented that is different. Eton Mess is a more relaxed version of a pavlova as you can use broken pieces of meringues. It is served in a glass so you can be more generous with whipped cream, sauces etc. without fear of the pavlova collapsing.
Ideally, once everything is assembled, you would want to eat the eton mess within 2-3 hours. This is because the moisture from the other ingredients will start to dissolve the meringues. While it won’t taste bad, you will lose the crunch and texture from the meringue.
Don’t worry if it starts to crystallise and forms lumps after you add the butter and cream. This is totally normal and the sugar will dissolve again once it’s put back on the heat. For this reason, I like to underdo my caramel slightly at the start before adding the butter and cream for this reason, so I don’t worry about burning it when trying to remelt the sugar crystals.
For the apple compote, you can use any apples you would like. Red eating apples such as Golden Delicious, Gala Apples, Honey Crisp, Braeburn etc. are great choices as they tend to stay intact while being cooked. Cooking apples such as Bramley apples can also be used but be aware they tend to turn mushy when cooked so you may end up with a softer apple compote. It will taste just as delicious though!
For other Eton Mess recipes, you can check out my Gooseberry Raspberry Eton Mess Recipe.
Maybe you’re interested in Gluten Free Recipes? I have Gluten Free Category, here.
Light, fluffy muffins with bursts of juicy blackberries.
A small batch version of the classic dessert of sweetened cooked apples and blackberries topped…
Easy, 5 ingredient peach and raspberry compote. Perfect for filling cakes, macarons, pavlovas, cupcakes etc.
Simple vanilla cake with peaches and raspberries
Easy, make ahead breakfast using granola, yoghurt of your choice and stewed rhubarb
Gorgeous, buttery scones with a crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior flavoured with bursts…