101 Teatime Holidays
Mini Chocolate Swirl
Pavlovas with
Pomegranate-Cranberry
Curd
Makes 92 ounces 60% cacao bittersweet
chocolate, chopped
2 large egg whites, room
temperature
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1⁄8 teaspoon cream of tartar
½ cup granulated sugar
Pomegranate-Cranberry Curd
(recipe follows)
Garnish: pomegranate arils and
fresh mint leaves
- Preheat oven to 275°. Line a baking
sheet with parchment paper. Using a
pencil, draw 9 (2-inch) circles onto
parchment; turn parchment over.- In a small microwave-safe bowl,
microwave chocolate on medium in
30-second intervals, stirring between
each, until melted. - In the bowl of a stand mixer fi t-
ted with the whisk attachment, beat
together egg whites, cornstarch, and
cream of tartar at medium speed until
foamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sugar,
1 tablespoon at a time, beating until
stiff peaks form and mixture is thick
and shiny, 6 to 8 minutes. - Transfer meringue to a piping bag
fi tted with a large star tip (Wilton #32).
Working from the center outward,
pipe concentric circles of meringue
onto drawn circles on prepared bak-
ing sheet until circles are fi lled. Pipe
extra layers onto perimeters of rounds
to form a 2-inch-high rim around the
edge of each circle. (Refer to step-
by-step photographs on page 125,
if desired.)- Transfer melted chocolate to a
small piping bag, and cut a small hole
in tip of bag. Pipe dime-size dots of
chocolate onto outside perimeter of
meringue. Using the back of a spoon,
gently swirl chocolate into meringue.
(Do not overwork meringue.) - Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Turn oven off , and let meringues stand
in oven with door closed for 6 to 8
hours, or overnight. - Up to 1 hour before serving, fi ll
centers of Pavlovas with Pomegranate-
Cranberry Curd. Garnish with pome-
granate arils and mint, if desired.
Pomegranate-Cranberry Curd
Makes 1 cup2 cups frozen cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons
pomegranate juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, cubed
and softened
6 large egg yolks- In a medium saucepan, bring cran-
berries, sugar, pomegranate juice,
and salt to a simmer over medium
heat. Simmer until cranberries have
softened and released their juices,
approximately 10 minutes. Strain mix-
ture through a fi ne-mesh sieve into
a medium bowl, pressing on solids.
Discard solids. - Add butter to cranberry mixture,
whisking until combined. Let cool for
3 minutes. Add egg yolks, whisking
until well combined. - Return cranberry mixture to sauce-
pan. Cook over medium heat, whisk-
ing constantly, until thickened, 5 to
10 minutes. Let cool to room tem-
perature. Transfer fi lling to an airtight
container and refrigerate until needed,
up to 2 days.