Let’s add sweetened egg whites and cranberry sauce to the list of things my cat eats.
No… it’s not like I scooped a healthy portion of meringue into his bowl. He prefers much more crafty measures… like jumping on the counter while I’m busy with my camera.
The only reason I know he’s such a crafty monster is because he emerged from the kitchen with a meringue covered, sticky cat face.
And… bath time.
I’ve been on an ice cream making kick lately so I’m about up to my ears in egg whites…. which kinda grosses me out. Do egg whites gross you out too?… yea. Slime.
But! Whipping up whites into meringue turns them from slime to something crisp and marshmallowy.
You can top these pavlova with anything: fresh fruit, jam, chocolate sauce, nutella or whipped cream. Whatever you have on hand. I happened to have half a bag of cranberries, half an orange and some random rosemary. These things are delicious together. To be sure.
Pavlovas with Cranberry Orange and Rosemary Sauce
inspired by Simply Recipes
makes 8 to 10 medium sized pavlovas
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 2 teaspoon distilled while vinegar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 ounces or about 6) large egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Cranberry Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons brown sugar
pinch of salt
zest of half an orange
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1 sprig rosemary
For the Pavlova:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk together cornstarch and granulated sugar and set aside.
Clean the bowl of an electric stand mixer very well. Dry the bowl well. Add the egg whites, a pinch of salt and cream of tartar to the bowl. Fit with a whisk attachment and beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peak/trails begin to form, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and cornstarch mixture, increasing the speed to high. Let mixture beat on high speed for a minute before adding the vanilla and vinegar (if using instead of cornstarch). Beat until glossy stiff peaks form, about 4 or 5 minutes.
Use a large spoon to dollop meringues onto lined baking sheets. Create an indentation in the center of the egg clouds. Place in the oven and reduce heat to 250 degrees F. Let bake for 50-60 minutes, or until firm and hallow. If meringues begin to crack or brown, decrease the oven temperature to 175 degrees.
Make the cranberry topping while the meringues bake.
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until cranberries begin to pop and break down, about 5 minutes. Turn flame to low and cook another 3 minutes, until enough liquid has absorbed and you’re happy with the consistency. Remove the rosemary sprig and serve warm over pavlovas.
MaiaJane
Love this! Trying it right now!
Question: Is your cat a Parlor Panther (AKA American Bombay)??
We have one and he eats EVERYTHING. His favorite food is Mangoes, but he’ll eat anything. So strange!
Alana
I’m looking forward to your ice cream posts!
hannah @ bake five
this sounds divine. im seeing white crackly meringues everywhere!
Alexia @ Dimple Snatcher
That second photo especially is gorgeous! Oh, and Joy? I think I’m in love with your cat.
take a megabite
Pavlovas! I want to rest my head on one. But mostly I’d like to eat one. These look as tasty as they are prety.
maya
it looks really tasty…yummie!
sara
So pretty! I still have never made a pavolva even though I love the different recipes I’ve seen on people’s blogs…this one looks particularly wonderful and perfect for the holidays! :) YUM!
freckydee
Hi Joy,
Down under in Oz, Pavlovas MUST be served with fresh whipped cream. Basically, meringues, fresh cream and fresh fruit = YUMMO! You can also sprinkle some toasted sliced almonds for texture. Had one for Christmas lunch yesterday that was a Pavlova Roll…meringue baked in a swiss roll tray, rolled up with cream, kiwi fruit and mango…topped with more cream and sprinkled with toasted almond slices – just divine!!
Dee
Wei-Wei
Does it gross you out that I eat raw meringue batter by the spoonful? It tastes like silky sweet clouds. Yeah. Kinda gross.
Also: I made meringues with a dried cranberry surprise inside! You read my mind :D
kimmyk
Lovely pav but you must have whipped cream with them.Its just not a pav without the cream.Merry Christmas!!
Jodie
Agreed. Without cream, it’s just meringue, not pavlova. I made pavs and meringues this Christmas. Nothing like double cream, strawberries and passionfruit on top of a pavlova.
Denise
These are so pretty! Aww, no photo of meringue-whiskered kitty??????
Mary @ Delightful Bitefuls
Swwooonnnn…. I’m in love.
And I will be making these asap. Merry Christmas!
Natalia - a side of simple
Mmm! I’ve never had pavlovas before, but if you can add nutella to it, I’m game! Merry Christmas!
Carol Evans
I was disapointed not to see a picture of your cat with the meringue face. I have a cat that helps me cook everything, she loves to get right in the middle of what I am doing. She is actually sitting right between the computer screen and me at this moment. To the comment about the plates, go looking in antique stores you will find them abundantly and mixing them is beautiful….and perfect for these Pavlovas
Verelle
I have never heard of this! I’m off to meet the boyfriend’s fam this weekend… maybe I’ll try to impress them with this!
Anne's Kitchen
I love making meringues, it’s so easy and yet so impressive! I’d never EVER return to store-bought meringues, they just don’t manage to keep the centre chewy.. and it’s really all about that chewiness, isnt’t it?! Great combo with the cranberry orange and rosemary, wow!
Gen
Pavolvas are good and light in the mouth! I usually add a little custad in the middle it’s even better!
Silvia
I absolutely love your plates,,, where did you find them?
Merry Christmas!
Bailey Benoit
It looks fab Joy! And one of my favs I love that you paired it with holidayness…
notyet100
mmmm delicious,…wish u merry christmas
sheila @ Elements
Looks wonderful, Joy! I love pavlova and could eat it every day!! Who would have thought your rascally kitten would love it so much!! I can imagine his fur and whiskers covered in stickiness!! Hope you were able to get a picture! :)
nancy k.
This post is lovely and very yummy looking.
I think you boy cat is no fool. He has realized he lives with a super baker and is just making the most of it. Consider him your test subject!
Laura @ SweetSavoryPlanet
Meringue, Yum. Love the flavor combination for the sauce.
I think cats generally like eggs. They also like corn cobs.
Jess
Don’t worry, we have a list of things my dog likes to eat. It includes chocolate cake, cashew nuts and anything that falls on the kitchen floor (Cause if it’s in the kitchen, then it’s got to be edible!).
stef
I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Pavlovas. Kiwifruit and strawberries FTW!
Mireya
These are stunning! Red on white is always so striking. And they sounds delicious too.
Yes, our cat eats anything. She’s even had hot coffee. I guess she’ll try anything once.
Rebecca
Mmmm. Eggs whites ARE weird. I kind of was always afraid of meringue when I was younger because my mom told me it was gross. She was lying to me.
Amy @ Serve At Once
I’ve heard of the beautiful miracles that pavlovas are, but I’ve never had one before. These are GORGEOUS, Joy. I’ll have to make these soon.
Merry Christmas!
zingara
hold the rosemary.
Ryan
Ooooh, those look interesting! I’ve never had or made those before. Looks delicious :)
I agree about the egg whites… they remind me of mucus
I have the opposite problem, way too many egg yolks from angel food cake. I’m hoping to get an ice cream maker for Christmas though, so maybe I’ll have the too many egg white problem and make these! :D
Oh and I absolutely love your blog. It’s kinda lame how much I like it, it’s so sunny and pretty.
Happy Christmas (or New Years if you don’t celebrate Christmas!)!
laura @ alittlebarefoot
beautiful! our cats will eat anything and everything the moment we turn our backs, too. crafty little things.
Anne
I’m sure your cat wanted to know why you made so much when you weren’t planning on sharing it with him anyways. At least now you know you’re cat has gourmet tastes. ^_^
I can’t say I’ve ever had a Pavlova before, but this makes me want to try one for sure!
laura
pavlovas are so australian, yummo
The Boob Nazi
I’m not a big fan of meringue, but yuuummm
Amalia
I love meringue in ways you can’t even imagine! This looks amazing, so white and pretty
-Amalia
Dinah
These look amazing! I love Pavlovas but have been unsuccessful in my attempts. I will have to attempt again with your recipe.
Kat
Aww…your cat is so cute.
This sounds like a great combination. I never thought of having pavlova with cranberry sauce
Shannon Skafte (Wanna be Foodie)
Did you know that you can freeze slimy egg whites? It’s a great thing… plus they look less slimy when they are solid… Just sayin’…
Caroline
These look phenomenal!
Jennifer
Joy, you’re killing me here! You keep presenting things for me to make when I get home – each one even more enticing than the last. (And then I go back to the previous recipes and am still excited to make them.)
It’s a delicious kind of torture (pun intended).
Ravenous Rowie
Your photography is so beautiful! Makes me want to learn how! Sounds delicious!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is
These are so beautiful for Christmas!
Justeen @ Blissful Baking
that sauce sounds just so perfectly christmasy! yum!
Mariya P
So funny that Pavlova is actually called Bizet in Russia.
No matter what the name is, I love those things. After a couple of batches of AB’s chewy choc-chip cookies, I’ve got some egg whites to use as well.
Half Assed Kitchen
Pavlova? Isn’t that some guy with a dog?
I kid. These look faboo!
My Kitchen in the Rockies
I will be baking Chocolate Pavlovas for Christmas dessert. Can’t wait. Wish I would have seen your recipe earlier, it looks much easier and absolutely divine.
Merry Christmas from Colorado.
Kirsten
Nikla
Ahh – the pav. The national desert of Australia. Every household will have one on christmas for desert.
Tenille B
That we will! (Largely because it’s so hot at Christmas, we skip the main meal and really just concentrate on dessert… :)
As an Aussie a loooong way from home, this is a true staple of every Christmas I have — I’ll be whipping up this awesome sauce tomorrow too. Delish! Thanks Joy! And merry merry, everyone!
Lydia
I too am an ice cream making fiend, and what I do is freeze my egg whites (I’ll just keep on adding them to a container in the freezer until it’s full), keeping track of how many there are, and then eventually I make angel food cake. I decided it would be my signature “what I do with leftover egg whites” thing.
I’d like to make an eggless ice cream that’s just as rich (and soft and non-icy) as regular, just to save a bit of time (making custard) and money (on organic free-range eggs), but it fails me. As a professional, are you any more successful?
Maris (In Good Taste)
Looks amazing! I wish I had time to crank out a batch of these for tomorrow’s dessert!
Heather (Heather's Dish)
i’ve always wanted to try my hand at pavlovas…these look absolutely stunning!
Lauren
Yum
Monica
Definitely saving this in my list of delicious fall/winter desserts :) The presentation for it is so beautiful, would be perfect for a lunch or a great light dessert after a heavy dinner.
Lauren at KeepItSweet
what a great use of the extra egg whites! i am so bad about saving whites or yolks when i only use one of them
Amorie
If you don’t have a use for them now, you can freeze eggs to use later as long as you have removed the shell. It’s really convenient :) It works best if you plan to cook or bake with the eggs later rather than eat them alone.