Tropical Eton mess in minutes
You can make meringues in no time in the microwave – they’re a little lumpy and bumpy, but they do the job nicely when crumbled into an Eton mess. If you want to make it prettier but keep it quick, use good shop-bought meringues instead. Serve in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in.
SERVES 6 PREP 25 mins COOK 5 mins EASY V
2 x 400ml cans full fat coconut milk 100g light brown soft sugar
1 tbsp dark rum (optional)
300g icing sugar
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 small pineapple, peel cut off, halved and cut into slices
1 papaya, peeled, halved and cut into slices 100g raspberries
1 lime, cut into wedges handful toasted coconut flakes Scoop the thick coconut cream from the top of the cans of coconut milk into a bowl, reserving the coconut milk underneath, and chill while you make the coconut caramel. Measure 100ml coconut milk into a saucepan and add the light brown soft sugar, rum and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and bubble for 5 mins to make a thick glossy caramel. Set aside to cool a little. To make the meringues, sift the icing sugar over the egg white in a bowl. Stir until the mixture forms a thick, pliable icing. Roll the icing into balls (about 3 tbsp each), put on a plate lined with kitchen paper and microwave on high for 11/2 mins until puffed up. Don’t worry if they look a little misshapen – no one will notice when they’re crumbled. Peel off the kitchen paper and put on a wire rack to cool. Arrange the meringues on a platter, smashing them up a bit. Whip the chilled coconut cream until smooth, then dollop on top of the meringue. Scatter over the fruit, drizzle with the coconut caramel and sprinkle with coconut flakes. Finally, squeeze over a few lime wedges, using the others to decorate the plate. Serve at the table with spoons for everyone to dig in. GOOD TO KNOW vit c • 1 of 5-a-day • gluten free
PER SERVING 446 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 11g • carbs 77g • sugars 74g • fibre 3g • protein 3g • salt none