a fool for you

How often do you find a great recipe only to discover it’s scaled for a crowd? In this next series entitled “making it for two” I am going to pare down not only the ingredients but also the prep time so that cooking for two won’t take an eternity. Leaving you more time to spend time with the one you love.

My sweet husband has an incredible sweet tooth. Personally, I don’t. Dessert is rarely on the menu, simply because it’s not on my radar screen. When I do provide him with a post-dinner treat he coos with delight. It can be a simple as a bakery bought frosted brownie cut into four triangles with a little scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle. But with all the fresh fruit at the farm stands right now I would be a fool not to try to incorporate more of it into our dining repertoire. 

I was just reading an article on an Eton Mess. It appeared to be a fresh strawberry parfait that they must have served at the British college. As I scrolled through the recipe I realized that my hubby would swoon over this one, so I set out to surprise him for tonight’s quiet dinner at home. Turns out an Eton Mess is a breeze to make.

All you need is a basket of fresh strawberries, a few store-bought meringue cookies, a cup of heavy cream, and a spoonful of sugar.

Hull and quarter a half pound of strawberries.

Toss the hulled and quartered berries with one tablespoon of sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and toss again. 

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to macerate, at least 30 minutes and up to a few hours.

Meanwhile whip the heavy cream with one tablespoon sugar and a half teaspoon of vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.

This desert is a cinch when you pick up store bought meringues. I found these at Trader Joe’s.

Coarsely chop the meringue cookies. Set aside.

When ready to serve- place a large spoonful of whipped cream in the bottom of two 8-ounce glasses. 

Top with a spoonful of chopped meringue.

Then a spoonful of macerated strawberries. Repeat with smaller spoonfuls of whipped cream, meringue and berries. Drizzle with the top with berry juice and garnish with a mint sprig.

This one will have your significant other drooling like pavlova’s dog- tally ho!