Wintery Pavlova with Port Cranberries and Rosemary

This Pavlova with port cranberries and rosemary is a wonderful wintery take on the summer dessert that hails from Oceania. 

Both Australia and New Zealand take credit for the invention of this cloud-like dessert, created in the 1920s to honor the Russian ballerina of the same name. It starts with a delicate meringue-crusted base that is dreamy  and marshmallow soft inside. 

Typically, Pavlova is topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries and served in the summer. This version is perfect for serving in the winter, including for Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert. It's definitely a showstopper. 

Actually, the winter is pretty perfect for making a Pavlova. The weather is less humid (humidity is the enemy of a successful pavlova), so you can make the big pavlova a day in advance and just leave it in the oven overnight, something you could never do on a humid summer day. 

Plus, the wintery flavor of the port cranberries with rosemary topping fits right in with the holiday season. 

Ingredients:

For the Pavlova Meringue:

Egg whites and granulated sugar: Don't cut back on the sugar because it adds to the crispness of the meringue and stabilizes the Pavlova. It's all about chemistry. 

Cream of Tartar: Cream of tarter is an acidic ingredient that when added in small amounts, also helps to stabilize the meringue and prevent it from collapsing. Don't use too much or you will notice a metallic flavor. 

Sea salt, confectioners' sugar, and pure vanilla extract or paste. 

For the Cranberries:

Fresh or frozen cranberries: I always hoard several bags in my freezer for cranberry emergencies. 

Brown Sugar and Five-Spice Powder. 

Ruby Port and Red Wine Vinegar. 

Dried Tart Cherries. 

For the Whipped Cream:

Whipping cream and a small amount of confectioner's sugar. 

Tips for Success:

Separate the egg whites when they are cold and then let the egg whites come to room temperature before beating. Make sure that there is zero egg yolk in the whites. 

Use the Swiss meringue method to create a more stable Pavlova. The method helps reduce the risk of overbeating the egg whites. Begin beating the egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until foamy and the mixture reaches about 160 degrees F. After that, beat the egg white and sugar mixture in a stand mixer until super thick. 

Another tip is to heat the oven to a higher temperature than you plan to use for baking, and then immediately reduce the temperature when you add the shaped meringue to the oven. 

Finally, when you are finished baking the pavlova, turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven for several hours. This step helps create the fluffy marshmallow interior. 

The meringue will collapse a tiny bit, but not too much. If you have a lot of cracks, you can always patch them with extra whipped cream. I was happy that mine didn't crack and the interior was amazing. 

Don't forget to toss a rosemary sprig into your cranberry mixture before cooking! 

To Assemble the Pavlova:

First, make the cranberry topping. You should watch it closely so that your sauce is not to jammy and more "saucy." The instructions call for cooking it for 20 minutes but if you like the sauce to be more syrupy, you can cook it for a shorter amount of time. Be sure to let the topping cool completely. 

Next, beat the whipping cream and confectioner's sugar until you have soft peaks. 

Finally, place the meringue on a cake plate and then top it with the whipped cream and cranberries. 

To make this a "make-ahead" dessert, start a day in advance and leave the meringue in the oven overnight. It is a great hack but you likely can't extend the freshness much longer. 

The cake will collapse a little when you cut into it (in a good way). 

I spooned leftover baked meringue into parfait glasses, topped it with leftover whipped cream along with macerated fresh fruit to make an Eton Mess, which was delicious, even after a few days in the refrigerator. An Eton mess is very forgiving. 

Don't forget to scroll back up (or down) to check out the photo of the marshmallowy interior of the sliced pavlova. 

1. 

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving by Rebecca Firth. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

It is a new year and a new book - The Cake Book: Beautiful Sweet Treats for Every Craving - and our choices for November 2024 were ~

Spiced Eggnog Cake with Rum Buttercream

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• My Recipe Reviews

Wintery Pavlova with Port Cranberries

• A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• A Little Bit of All Right

Wintery Pavlova with Port Cranberries and Rosemary

Yield: 10 servings

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 2 HourInactive time: 12 HourTotal time: 15 Hour

This Pavlova with port cranberries and rosemary is is wonderful wintery take on the summer dessert that hails from Oceania.

Ingredients

For the Pavlova

• 5 large egg whites
• 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 30 grams (1/4 cup) confectioners's sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

For the Cranberry Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 73 grams (1/3 cup packed) light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup ruby port
• 170 grams (6 ounces) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 64 grams (1/2 cup) dried cherries
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice powder

For the Whipped Cream

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
• 32 grams (4 1/2 tablespoons) confectioners' sugar, sifted

Instructions

To Make the Pavlova

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. and line a half sheet pan with parchment. If you like, trace a 8 to 9 inch circle on the parchment with a pencil or pen and flip it over so that you can see the circle on the other side.
2. In the metal bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and granulated sugar. Bring one to two inches of water to a boil in saucepan and place the mixer bowl over the water, making sure that the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk the egg whites and sugar constantly and vigorously, until foamy and the temperature reaches 160 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the bowl to the stand mixer, add the cream of tartar and salt, and begin beating with the whisk attachment on medium high speed until you have a glossy and thick mixture, about 10 minutes. The mixture (and the bowl) should have cooled at this point. Beat in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and mix for one more minute.
4. Dollop the meringue mixture onto the parchment paper and form it into a mound within the 8 to 9 inch circle. Create a valley in the middle of the mound for adding the whipped cream and fruit after baking.
5. Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack of your oven and reduce the heat to 200 degrees F. and bake for 2 hours. If the meringue starts to brown, turn the oven down to 180 degrees F.
6. After two hours, turn off the oven and let the meringue cool for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until ready to serve.

To Make the Cranberry Sauce

1. In a 2 to 3 quart saucepan, add the water, sugar, port, cranberries, cherries, rosemary, vinegar, and Chinese five-spice seasoning.
2. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid had reduced but there are still some whole cranberries.
3. Cool completely.

To Make the Whipped Cream and Assemble the Cake

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the cold heavy cream on medium to soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat briefly to incorporate. Do not over beat.
2. Place the pavlova meringue on a plate or cake plate and dollop the top with all of the whipped cream.
3. Top with the cranberries, slice, and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

292

Fat (grams)

13 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

8 g

Carbs (grams)

43 g

Fiber (grams)

1 g

Net carbs

41 g

Sugar (grams)

36 g

Protein (grams)

3 g

Cholesterol (grams)

40 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2024/11/wintery-pavlova-with-port-cranberries.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

Pavlova, cranberries

dessert

Australian