By all accounts, the Royal Baby is on its way! (UPDATE: it’s a boy!) And what better way to celebrate the new bundle’s arrival than with a traditionally British summer dessert featuring strawberries and cream!? Eton Mess gets its name from the famed UK all-boys boarding school, Eton College (attended by soon-to-be new daddy, the future King of England, and my middle-school crush, William). It’s quite easy to put together, sweet, fruity, light, and most of all – delicious! So why not whip up a batch, sit back, and relax while the Royal Baby media frenzy unfolds!?

You’ll need:

– 1 carton of fresh strawberries (approx 1 lb)

– 8 to 10 meringue cookies (you can follow the directions here to make your own, but don’t be a hero, even Martha Stewart says it’s OK to buy them)

– 1 cup heavy whipping cream

– 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

– 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

What now?:

– separate out 1/2 the strawberries, remove stems and either run them quickly through your food processor, or mash them up with a potato masher (I used a cocktail muddler, same diff) and set aside.

– take the other half of the strawberries and cut them in small, bite-sized piece. Add them to the bowl with the mashed up strawberries and set aside.

– combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or regular large mixing bowl if you don’t have a mixer) and place the mixture in the fridge along with a metal whisk (or your mixer’s whisk attachment) for at least 30 mins to cool.

– remove whipping cream mixture from fridge and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks are formed. If you are going manual on this, you’re going to need some mega muscles and a bit of time (maybe keep a friend on speed-dial to tap you out if need be).

– the whipped cream mixture can be made up to a few hours in advance. Keep it cool in the fridge if you’re not serving it right away.

– when ready to serve, take out 4 of your prettiest dessert bowls.

– place a spoonful of whipped cream mixture in the bottom of the dish, then follow-up with a crumbled layer of meringue cookie, and a layer of the strawberry mixture. Repeat layers until the dish is full.

– feel free to mix up the layers however you like, after all it is intended to look like a bit of a mess!

(serves 4)

I hope you placed your bets on whether the new heir to the British throne will be a boy or a girl because all will be revealed very soon!

xo Ali