Eton Mess

Preheat the oven onto 300°F. Using a 5 Qt stand mixer, pour in the egg whites. Make sure the eggs have been at room temperature for 15 minutes as this will help whip them. Using a wire whisk, whip on medium speed until firm peaks start to develop. The eggs should have tripled in volume. Slowly add in the sugar and mix on low speed until all of the sugar has been dissolved. You can rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers to check for this. If you can feel the grains of sugar, keep mixing on low speed for a minute or two more and check again.

Once fully incorporated, place the Silpat liner onto a baking sheet. Using a large spoon, scoop 4 large dollops onto the tray.

Place the tray in the oven and bake for 40 minutes. The top outer shell of each meringue should be crisp, and the colour will brown slightly as the sugar begins to caramelize.

Remove each meringue from the tray and let them cool.

Place ½ cup of water and ½ cup of sugar in a small sauce pot on high heat. Once it has come to a boil, stir until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 1 minute.

Take the pot off the heat and immediately place the bunch of basil in the simple syrup. Allow to steep overnight.

Pour equal parts of simple syrup in a vacuum seal bag containing sliced strawberries in one and the other with raspberries and blackberries.

Using a vacuum sealer, remove the air from each bag and seal them.

Using a 5Qt stand mixer with wire whisk, pour the whipping cream into the bowl and turn onto medium speed. The cream should be cold as it will be easier to whip.

Whip the cream for 2-3 minutes until the cream can hold its shape when you lift the wire whisk out (stiff peaks). Make sure to not over whip the cream as it can become lumpy.

Using your hands, break up the meringue. You should have a mixture of small and large pieces.

Cut open the bags of berries and separate the berries from the liquid. Mix part of the liquid into the cream to create a soft pink color. Do not use all the liquid.

In a serving bowl, place 2-3 pieces of the meringue on the bottom. Top with 2 teaspoons of the cream and a few pieces of berries. Place another 2-3 pieces of meringue on top and follow with another 2 teaspoons of cream and a few more pieces of berries.

Finish by drizzling the remaining berry liquid overtops.

Garnish with a few small pieces of basil.