Heel and Toe's Onesie Walk and The Walking Mess (Eton Mess in a Bag)

 

 

 

Happy Foodie Friday!!  Today's post is dedicated to Heel & Toe Children's Charity (www.heelandtoe.org.uk) in County Durham, England in honor of their Onesie Walk happening on Monday.  My charity, Be the Light of the Party Foundation, is again sponsoring the snack packs for this one mile walk around the lake at Hardwick Park, Sedgefield.  So I thought I would send them some "virtual" support today in the form of an exciting edible creation. 

My children recently introduced me to something called "the walking taco" or "taco in a bag."  It's basically made by crushing a bag of tortilla chips and adding taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and other toppings in the hopes of creating a messy-free, portable lunch or snack.  So I'm thinking, why not expand this concept to include dessert?  Eton Mess is a traditional British dessert made with meringue cookies, strawberries, and whipped cream.  It could be considered a little messy, but in a magnificently delicious way!!  And since we are honoring a Walk in this post and it's occurring in England, using Eton Mess seems like a good decision.  As usual, I put a gourmet spin on it.  This version uses jasmine whipped cream and champagne simple syrup.  And so I give you, The Walking Mess.  Enjoy! 

The Walking Mess (Eton Mess in a Bag)

1 cup heavy cream (double cream)
1 tablespoon loose-leaf jasmine tea
½ cup pink champagne or sparkling wine
½ cup granulated sugar (caster sugar)
3 tablespoons powdered sugar (icing sugar)
3 cups coarsely crumbled meringue cookies (or 6 snack size bags of meringue cookies)
6 treat/food bags (omit, if using snack bags of meringue)
1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced
Cacao nibs or chocolate shavings (optional) 
6 disposable spoons

1.  Combine cream and tea leaves in small bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight. 
2.  In a small saucepan, bring champagne and sugar to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat; let cool.  Pour into bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
3.  Remove tea-infused cream from refrigerator.  Pour through a strainer into a medium bowl.  Discard tea leaves.  Add powdered sugar and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  Set aside.    
4.  Fill bags equally with meringue cookies or open up bags of packaged meringues.  Top with strawberries.  Drizzle with champagne simple syrup.  Follow with a layer of whipped cream and more syrup.  Garnish, if desired, with nibs or chocolate.  Serve immediately, with spoons.    
 

Serves:  6