Everything I've learnt about boarding schools were from the well thumbed pages of Enid Blyton's 'Mallory Towers' and 'St Clare's'.
'Prep'...'lacrosse'...'tuck'..
. these exotic words meant very little. Our school dinner puddings would involve, largely, semolina. Or on a special occasion, Jam Roly Poly with that peculiar school-dinner-issue thick custard that always left a trail of custard-skin on the spoon. Custard-skin that would be carefully, with almost surgical precision, be extracted and discarded.
It seemed pupils at boarding schools had way nicer puds. Take Eton for example. They've an entire, classic, delicious, summery dessert named after the College. Traditionally served at the annual cricket match against Harrow School, Eton Mess is a marvellous mix of strawberries, meringue and cream. Not a semolina rice in sight.
Nigella adds pomegranate juice to her version. Heston makes his with bananas. Me? I've made a roasted rhubarb Eton Mess. Lovely.
Roasted Rhubarb Eton Mess
(six individual servings)
For the meringue:
4 large egg whites
115g caster sugar
115g icing sugar, sifted
For the roasted rhubarb:
550-600g rhubarb, washed, trimmed and roughly cut into 1 inch pieces
85g golden caster sugar
To serve:
250ml double cream
A sprig or two of mint
1. Firstly make the meringue: preheat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/Gas Mark 1⁄4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Beat the egg whites on a medium speed until the egg whites become cloud-like and foamy and the stiff peak stage is reached. Turn up the mixer speed and gradually add the caster sugar, a spoonful at a time, beating between each addition. The mixture will be thick and glossy when all the caster sugar has been added.
3. Fold in the icing sugar, a third at a time. The mixture should be smooth with a satin sheen
4. Gently spoon the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 1 hr 15 minutes to 1 hr 45 minutes until the meringues are coffee coloured and they sound crisp when tapped underneath. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside, undisturbed, until the oven is completely cold. Set the meringue aside.
5. To roast the rhubarb: Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the trimmed rhubarb in an ovenproof dish and evenly sprinkle over the golden caster sugar. Cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes, checking half way through and giving the dish a gentle shake to distribute the sugar. The rhubarb should be soft but still retain their shape
6. To assemble: Whip the cream in a large bowl. Crush the meringue into small pieces and mix in with the cream. Divide the cooled roasted rhubarb between the serving glasses and spoon over the meringue. Decorate with the mint
Bakers notes...
There are three great things about Eton Mess. Firstly, it's delicious. Secondly, it's ever so easy to make. And thirdly, there's no worrying about fancy presentation. Pop it in a nice glass and decorate with a sprig of mint.
To make the perfect meringues: make sure all equipment is scrupulously clean, ensure the eggs are fresh and the oven temperature is low- an oven thermometer is a worthwhile investment for dodgy ovens. They can be stored in an airtight tin for up to two weeks. The meringue recipe above is based upon Good Food Magazine's Ultimate Meringue recipe. Felicity Cloake, in her brilliant 'Perfect..' series explores lots of different meringue recipes right here