Individual Blackberry and Raspberry Vanilla Eton Mess

Makes 4 Servings

by KitchenAid

INGREDIENTS

For the meringues

• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 pinch salt
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the macerated berries

• 6 ounces blackberries
• 6 ounces raspberries
• Juice and zest of two lemons
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

For whipped cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

DIRECTIONS

For the meringues

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a small and a large baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly pour caster sugar onto the small baking sheet. Heat it for 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt in the bowl of your KitchenAid Artisan Mini Stand Mixer on low (speed 1 or 2) until small bubbles form. Then, increase the speed to medium-high (speed 4 or 6) and whisk until stiff peaks form.

Remove the sugar from the oven and turn down the oven temperature to 225°F, cracking open the door with a wooden spoon to bring the temperature down quicker. Increase your Artisan Mini Stand Mixer to high (speed 10) and slowly, a tablespoon at a time, spoon in the hot sugar. Make sure that the mixture comes back to stiff peaks after each addition of the hot sugar. After all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk on high speed until smooth, stiff and glossy peaks form, around 5-7 minutes. If the mixture has any grittiness, continue to whisk until all the sugar has dissolved.

Spoon or pipe the mixture (using a piping bag and a 1/2″ round tip) into tablespoon-size rounds onto a large parchment paper-lined sheet, leaving about 3/4″ between each mound. Bake in the middle of oven until crisp and firm, for around 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Meringues are done when they can easily peel off the parchment paper. Turn the oven off and let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet inside the oven, then peel off parchment paper and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the macerated berries

Combine berries, lemon juice and zest, and sugar and stir together. Gently and lightly crush the berries and let sit to macerate for 20 minutes.

For the whipped cream and assembly

In a chilled Artisan Mini Stand Mixer bowl fitted with the whisk, combine whipping cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean paste and and whip on high (speed 10) until cream just holds stiff peaks.

To assemble, layer crumbled meringue cookies with whipped cream and macerated berries in a small cup or bowl, then repeat with a second layer. Serve and enjoy!