Simon Rimmer's banana Eton mess recipe

Banana Eton mess is a take on a classic recipe that's full of caramelised bananas, crunchy meringue and toffee sauce. Simon Rimmer's banoffee dessert is a delicious and simple dinner party idea that's ready in an hour! With a prep time of only 15 minutes, these couldn't be easier to make.

In this Eton mess recipe, Simon makes the meringues from scratch, as they're really simple to make and you'll only need three ingredients - egg whites, sugar and sherry vinegar. But if you'd like to cheat and make this recipe even speedier, you can use shop-bought meringues - ideal if you need to whip up an delicious dessert in a hurry.

Often, you can't get that same chewy centre and crunchy shell texture with the shop-bought meringues, but if you're in a rush, you can definitely cut a corner and use them instead. This banana Eton mess recipe serves 4 people. but you can easily double up quantities if you need to feed more people. Serve with an almond, pecan and raisin muesli to add a delicious crunch to it. This lovely and light recipes makes the perfect pud for a BBQ party, or a great dessert to have after Sunday dinner - your family will love it!

Ingredients

• 4 bananas
• 150ml cream
• 150ml crème fraiche

For the meringue:

• 3 egg whites
• 150g sugar
• Half tsp sherry vinegar

For the sauce:

• 100g soft dark brown sugar
• 100g butter
• 100ml cream
• 1tbs rum

To serve:

• 150g almond, pecan and raisin muesli, like Nature’s Pleasure

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC
2. For the meringue: Beat egg whites until stiff peaks, then whisk in sugar 1tbs at a time. Gently fold in the vinegar. Spoon onto greaseproof paper on a tray. Put into the oven and turn down to 150ºC immediately, then bake for about 45 mins. Should be hard on the outside, chewy in middle.
3. For the filling: Whip the cream and creme fraiche together and slice the bananas, fold half through the cream mix together with half the meringue (broken up).
4. For the sauce:  Put all sauce ingredients in a pan and boil until combined, allow to cool.
5. To serve put a spoonful of the creamy mix in a cocktail glass, then some meringue, muesli, banana and a swirl of sauce, repeat, taking the mix above the top of the glass, finish with meringue, banana and lots of sauce, then top with more muesli.