Raspberry and hazelnut Eton mess recipe

Eton mess is probably our all-time favourite summer dessert and this raspberry and hazelnut Eton mess is an epic variation on it. 

This dessert is so quick to make and requires almost no thinking about. It's ready in 10 minutes and it's best to mix it up right before serving. If you make it in advance, you might find the meringue melts to much into the cream, and loses its crunch. To keep things as simple as possible we've used shop bought meringues. If you want to play around with the flavours you can add in extra berries - blueberries, strawberries and red or white currants all work well. Leave out the hazelnut liqueur for an alcohol free version, or use a dash of hazelnut coffee syrup.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp chopped hazelnuts
• 115g raspberries
• 4 tbsp hazelnut-flavoured liqueur, such as Frangelico (optional)
• 250ml double cream
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ready-made meringue nests or 4 meringues, broken into small pieces

Method

1. Put the hazelnuts in a dry-frying pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Immediately transfer to a plate and set aside to cool slightly.
2. Reserve 4 of the raspberries for decoration and put the rest in a bowl. Add the liqueur, if using, and crush lightly with a fork.
3. Put the cream and vanilla extract in a large bowl and whip, using an electric mixer, until soft peaks form. Fold the raspberry mixture and meringues into the cream, then spoon the mixture into four glasses or bowls. Scatter the toasted hazelnuts over the top, decorate with the reserved raspberries and serve.

Top tip for making raspberry and hazelnut Eton mess

For the best texture, try to get meringues from a bakery, or from the bakery department of the supermarket. They tend to have a better texture than the boxed meringue nests, with a bit of chewiness as well as crunch. You could even make your own, such as these homemade hazelnut meringues for an impressive treat.

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