Cranberry-Orange Pavlova

Pavlova, named after the renowned Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, is a light, lean (well, almost), fruity dessert which I love. This adaptation makes it so apropos for Thanksgiving, I just HAD to share it with you!

Ingredients:

Meringue

• 6 egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cup sugar

Topping

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
• 2 large oranges
• 6 cups cranberries
• 2 cups heavy cream (use whipping cream, NOT heavy whipping cream)
• 6 tbsp confectioners' sugar

Preheat over to 250F. Whip the whites on medium-high speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until soft peaks. Add the sugar 2 tbsp. at a time until fully absorbed and the mixture glossy, about 6 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Spread the meringue on the paper to make a circle. Indent the center so that the sides are higher. Bake 2 hours. The sides will be firm and the center softer. It might fall after you cool it. No worries. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, bring the sugar, water and vanilla, two long orange zest strips (use a vegetable peeler) and juice from the oranges to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sugar dissolves. Add the cranberries and cook just until softened, about 8 minutes. Don't overcook or they'll burst. Discard the vanilla bean and orange zest. Chill.

Whip the cream and sugar until medium peaks. Do not overbeat. Whipped cream tastes best when softly beaten and not too stiff but not too watery.

Assemble before serving: gently remove the meringue from the wax paper and put it on a plate, pour the whipped cream over it and then arrange the cranberries on top.

The dessert is gorgeous: bright white and red combined for a festive and delicious dessert!