Winter Ballerina Pavlova
Are sugar plum fairies dancing in your head? They could be with this elegant holiday twist on a pavlova, topped with sweet mulled plums, sticky maple pecans, and pillowy whipped cream.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all my lovely readers! I hope you don’t mind a slightly longer intro for this one. I always strive to be concise, but this recipe means a lot to me, so I wanted to give some context.
This idea was inspired by a lovely letter I received from my grandma! She gifted me a pavlova plate that she was actually given in Australia, after enjoying pavlova for the first time. In the letter, she mentioned that pavlova is named after a famous ballerina, Anna Pavlova. And this little fun fact got me thinking. Could I make a pavlova that looked like a ballerina?
I initially started working on this recipe way back in spring aaand let’s just say the fates were not about it. So I shelved it. Then, as we started approaching wintertime, I was reminded of the many times I went to see The Nutcracker ballet with my mom when I was a child. And that was just the spark I needed to finally make this ballerina come to life!
So here she is, a little tribute to my grandma and my mom, and a celebration of all things Christmas. (It also happens to be gluten-free!) I hope you enjoy it and have a wonderful holiday season with those you love!
Servings: 12 to 16 | Prep Time: 2 h 30 m | Cook Time: 2 h 15 m | Cooling Time: 7 h
Ballerina template (link)
8.5 x 11” paper
Parchment paper
Hand-mixer / Stand-mixer
Large piping bag
Small round piping tip
Offset spatula
Pencil
Knife
Vegetable peeler
Large sauté pan / Large skillet
Small saucepan
Microwave-safe bowl
8” round dowel stand with straw dowel rods (link)
Scissors
Meringue Ballerina:
3 large egg whites
½ tsp clear vanilla extract
½ tsp cream of tartar
⅛ tsp salt
¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pavlova:
1 tbsp vinegar
1 ½ tsp cornstarch
1 tsp clear vanilla extract
1 tsp cream of tartar
⅛ tsp salt
7 large egg whites, room temp
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Mulled Sugar Plums:
3 medium plums
½ large orange
1 cup red wine (I used a Zinfandel: Peach Canyon’s Incredible Red)
½ cup unsweetened cranberry juice
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp Amaretto
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole cloves
2 star anise
2 green cardamom pods
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Sticky Maple Pecans:
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup butter
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp cloves
1 cup whole pecans, chopped
Stabilized Whipped Cream:
1 tsp gelatin powder
1 ½ cups + 1 tsp cold heavy whipping cream, divided
½ cup (2 oz) powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp clear vanilla extract
Assembly:
Fresh cranberries
Fresh mint
Meringue Ballerina (30 minutes prep + 45 minutes cooking + 1 hour cooling in oven)
Print out the Ballerina Template on 8.5x11” paper (make sure the print size is set to Actual Size, not Fit / Fit to Page).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the template underneath the parchment. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220° F.
In a large bowl, with a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, whisk the egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt on medium-low until foamy.
Continuing to whisk, gradually add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
Whisk until stiff peaks form and the sugar is fully dissolved. You can rub the mixture between your fingers to test this. If it feels grainy, keep mixing until the mixture feels smooth.
Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a small round tip.
Pipe the meringue onto the parchment, tracing the template for the ballerina and filling it in completely. The ballerina should be about ¾-inch thick, so you may need to pipe a second layer.
Smooth the surface of the ballerina with an offset spatula or a toothpick.
Carefully remove the template from underneath the parchment paper and bake for 45 minutes, or until completely dry.
Turn the oven off and leave the meringue ballerina inside for at least 1 hour, or until the oven is completely cool.
Remove from the oven and set aside.
Pavlova (30 minutes prep + 90 minutes cooking + 6 hours cooling in oven)
Preheat oven to 275° F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
With a pencil, draw an 8” diameter circle in the middle of the parchment paper and flip it over so the drawing is on the bottom. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, cornstarch, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt.
Add the egg whites and vinegar mixture to a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand-mixer.
With the whisk attachment of a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, beat together the egg whites and vinegar mixture on low for about 5 minutes, until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking for at least 30 seconds between each addition.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed, to ensure everything is mixed in.
Continue whisking on medium-high until mixture is stiff, glossy, and completely smooth. Be careful not to overmix.
Heap the meringue in large spoonfuls onto the parchment lined baking sheet, just filling the circle.
Smooth the meringue into a dome shape.
Decorate the sides of the pavlova by gently dragging the offset spatula from bottom to top at a curved angle.
Clean up the bottom edge with an offset spatula or a paper towel.
Lower the oven temperature to 220° F and bake the pavlova, undisturbed, for 90 minutes.
Turn off the oven and let cool inside for 6 hours or overnight, keeping the oven door closed the entire time.
While the pavlova is in the oven, prepare the mulled sugar plums and the sticky maple pecans.
Mulled Sugar Plums (30 minutes prep + 3 hours chilling)
Wash, pit, and cut the plums into eight slices each, and set aside.
Using a peeler, peel several large strips of orange zest off the orange and set aside.
Juice half of an orange into a small bowl, removing any seeds or pulp, and set aside.
In a large sauté pan or skillet, combine the red wine, cranberry juice, sugar, maple syrup, Amaretto, orange juice and peel, cinnamon sticks, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods.
Whisk over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved.
Bring to a boil and reduce until thick, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the cinnamon sticks, cloves, anise, and cardamom pods.
Whisk in the vanilla and freshly grated nutmeg.
Reduce heat to low and add the sliced plums, gently coating them in the sauce.
Simmer until plums are slightly tender but still firm, about 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and transfer the plums and the sauce to an airtight container.
Chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours, or until assembly.
Sticky Maple Pecans (15 minutes prep + 30 minutes chilling)
In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, heavy cream, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.
Whisk together over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved, and mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the pecans, stirring to combine.
Transfer to an airtight container and let cool completely at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
Stabilized Whipped Cream (15 minutes)
Wait to prepare the whipped cream until just before assembling and serving the pavlova.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the gelatin powder and 1 ½ tbsp cold water. Let bloom for 5 minutes.
Once firm, heat the gelatin mixture in the microwave on high for 5 seconds, or until fully liquid and the gelatin granules are no longer visible. Heat an additional 3 second to 5 seconds, if necessary.
Whisk in 1 tsp of cold heavy whipping cream. If the gelatin clumps, microwave for 3 seconds at a time until it's fully melted again.
In a large bowl, with a hand-mixer or stand-mixer, whisk the remaining 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream for 15 seconds on medium speed until foamy.
Add the powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing on medium speed until soft peaks just begin to form.
Reduce mixer speed to low and drizzle in the liquid gelatin mixture, mixing until incorporated.
Increase mixer speed to medium and mix just until firm peaks form. Be careful not to over-mix or the whipped cream may become chunky and curdled.
Immediately assemble the pavlova.
Assembly (30 minutes)
Insert a straw dowel rod in the center of an 8” round stand. Set on your serving dish.
Carefully peel the parchment off the bottom of the pavlova.
With another straw, carefully spear the pavlova from the top so there’s a hole going through the center. Remove straw.
Gently lower the pavlova onto the prepared dowel stand with the straw going through the hole you just made.
Dollop whipped cream into the center of the pavlova and around the top.
Trim the dowel rod with scissors so it is just below the level of the whipped cream and cover the top with whipped cream.
Place the meringue ballerina in the whipped cream, leaning her against the dowel rod for support.
Place mulled plum slices an even distance apart around the ballerina’s torso and decorate with some maple pecans. Finish with some cranberries bordered by two mint leaves each to look like mistletoe.
Serve immediately, with additional maple pecans and mulled plums to taste. Remove the mint and cranberries before enjoying. Leftovers may be stored in the fridge for up to a day.
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my Best Practices page for tips on how to make this recipe yourself. Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and feel free to tag me on Instagram @made.by.shade if you make it!
-Shade