Crispy on the outside and fluffy and airy on the inside, This cloud like Meringue is paired with bursting Pomegranate flavor, and creates this heavenly dessert!
First things first what is a Pavlova? A Pavlova is like a Meringue but it is crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. It is then topped with whipped cream and typically berries.
This delicious dessert was a trial and success story!
I had fresh Pomegranates that I wanted to make a dessert with but had no idea what to make with them. I searched on Pinterest for ideas and nothing really stood out to me. So I put the pomegranates away and thought I would have to come up with a recipe another day. Then I saw a recipe for Pavlovas topped with berries and I thought hmm... what if instead of the berries I topped the Pavlovas with whipped cream and Pomegranate seeds! Then I also saw a bottle of Pomegranate juice just staring at me in my fridge and I thought, Ok I need to incorporate this in the recipe somehow, thus this delicious Pomegranate whipped cream was born. The Pomegranate whipped cream has a little bit of tart and bitterness to it, but when paired with the sweet meringue, they compliment each other so well. I am so proud at how delicious this recipe turned out. It's not your typical Pavlova but it sure tastes Amazing!
*Note: Pavlovas take quite some time to Bake, so make sure you have adequate timing for this recipe. The total time to bake was 45 min, then you have to let them rest in the oven for 1 hour and then at room temp for another 20-30 min. Total time is about 2.5 hours.
Ingredients
Meringue:
-6 Egg whites (room temp)
-1-1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
-1 tablespoon Bisquick
-1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
-1 teaspoon Vinegar
-1/8 teaspoon Salt
*Note: I used Bisquick as a stabilizer along with Vinegar because I didn't have cream of tartar.
Pomegranate Syrup:
-1-1/2 cups Pomegranate juice
-1 cup Granulated Sugar
Pomegranate whipped cream:
-1 cup Heavy cream
-1/4 - 1/3 cup Pomegranate syrup
Toppings:
-1 fresh Pomegranate or 1 cup of Pomegranate seeds
*Yield: Makes about 8 (3 inch) Pavlovas.
Directions:
To get started, add your egg whites into a stand mixer along with the salt and whip for 1 minute, then slowly add in the sugar a little bit at a time while still whipping the egg whites on High speed.
After adding all the sugar, whip the egg whites for about 3 minutes until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should have a glossy appearance and now they are officially a meringue.
Now you want to fold in the vinegar and Bisquick to help stabilize the meringues while they bake.
I add the Meringues into a piping bag, and Onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, I am piping 2.5 -3 inch disks that are higher on the outsides with a bit of a dent in the center. This recipe was enough for exactly 8 meringue disks.
I have my oven preheated to 305 degrees Farenheit, as soon as I add the tray into the oven I lower the temp to 265 degrees Farenheit. Bake them for 45 minutes, after 45 minutes turn the oven off and let them cool in the oven for 1 hour. Letting them cool in the oven helps them get that crispy exterior and keeps the interior fluffy and cloud like. (DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN AT ALL WHILE BAKING OR LETTING COOL)
Once these have cooled for 1 hour in the oven, I remove them from the oven and place them on my counter to cool at room temp for another 20 minutes.
Again these take quite some time to make so you can get started on the next few steps while these are baking and cooling.
Meanwhile I get started on the Pomegranate syrup for the whipped cream.
In a saucepan over Medium-High heat I pour 1-1/2 cups of Pomegranate juice along with 1 cup of granulated sugar. I cook this for about 6 minutes until the syrup is nice and thick. Then I remove it from the heat, place it in a bowl, and in the fridge to cool.
After the syrup has cooled completely, it should be very thick almost a corn syrup consistency. This is going to be used to make a delicious Pomegranate whipped cream that I just pretty much made up as I made the recipe, and it turned out better than I expected.
In the stand mixer add 1 cup of heavy cream and start whipping that until it thickens slightly. Then add 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the Pomegranate syrup and whip on High speed until it comes together, if you want it sweeter add more syrup but I like it just like this because again the meringues are sweet and the tartness of the whipped cream like this compliments them so well.
Set the whip cream aside in the fridge for now, until it's time to start assembling the Pavlovas.
I have a fresh pomegranate that I'm going to cut and remove all the seeds from and use these for topping the Pavlovas.
After the Pavlovas have cooled, now you can start assembling these beauties. I start by spreading a nice spoonful of the pomegranate whipped cream onto each Pavlova, then I sprinkle fresh Pomegranate seeds over them, Finally I drizzled the left over Pomegranate syrup over them.
I took a bite, and it was Heavenly!
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