Recipes Desserts Spiced Pavlovas with Oranges and Mulled Wine Caramel Be the first to rate & review! The first Christmas Food & Wine editor Melanie Hansche celebrated in Bavaria with her Australian husband, he made her Bavarian family a classic Australian pavlova. Even though Bavarians don't tend to eat dessert at the end of a Christmas meal, the lightness and freshness of the fruit and meringue in the pavlova, which balanced the rich, savory dinner that had come before, was a winner. These individual pavlovas represent a mash-up of Hansche's Bavarian and Australian upbringing. In it, the the aromas and ingredients of a Bavarian Christmas markets—glühwein, toasted almonds, spiced cookies—are infused into the components of the classic Australian dessert: a base of sweet, cinnamon-spiced meringue is topped with fresh tangy quark, and crowned with bright citrus and intense mulled wine caramel. By Melanie Hansche Melanie Hansche Instagram Title: Deputy Editor, Food & WineLocation: Easton, PennsylvaniaEducation: Melanie has a graduate diploma in journalism from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a bachelor of arts with a double major in English literature and politics from Macquarie University.Expertise: food, travel, recipes, restaurants.Experience: Melanie Hansche has been the deputy editor at Food & Wine since 2018, where she spearheads both its travel and home coverage, develops recipes close to her heart (crumpets, anyone?), and often writes about her experiences of being a restaurant owner working in food media. Before joining F&W, she was the editor-in-chief of Organic Life at Rodale, oversaw the company's test kitchen, and acted as food director across all its brands. Melanie spent her formative years at one of Australia's most successful food brands, Donna Hay magazine, as its executive editor. Since 2017, Melanie has been the co-owner of Tucker, an Aussie-inspired cafe and general store. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 18, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Photo by Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Active Time: 1 hrs Cool Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 9 hrs 50 mins Servings: 4 Ingredients Pavlovas 4 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 cup superfine sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon white vinegar Caramel 3 medium navel and/or blood oranges, divided 1 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup water ¼ teaspoon fresh lemon juice Pinch of fine sea salt ½ cup (4 oz.) dry red wine 2 whole star anise, broken 2 (about 3-inch) cinnamon sticks,broken in half 10 whole cloves Additional Ingredients 1 cup heavy cream ⅓ cup quark or crème fraîche Toasted sliced almonds, for garnish Directions Make the pavlovas: Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Beat egg whites in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. With mixer running, gradually add superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Stop machine, and scrape down sides of bowl. Beat on high speed until meringue is very thick, about 6 minutes. Stop machine; scrape down sides of bowl. Add cinnamon and vinegar; beat until meringue is glossy and sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet in 4 even mounds (about 3 3/4 inches round and 1 1/2 inches tall), leaving at least 2 inches between mounds. Using the back of a spoon, form a shallow divot in center of each mound. Transfer baking sheet to oven, and immediately reduce oven temperature to 250°F. Bake pavlovas 50 minutes. Without opening oven door, turn off oven and oven light. Let pavlovas cool completely in oven, at least 8 hours or up to 12 hours. Make the caramel: Using a Y-shaped peeler, remove peel from 1 orange in long strips. Following the shape of orange, cut away and discard white pith; reserve orange peel strips and peeled orange. Combine granulated sugar, 1/4 cup water, lemon juice, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, swirling pan occasionally and brushing down any sugar crystals that stick to sides of pan using a wet pastry brush. Boil, swirling pan often, until caramel is deep amber in color and registers 380°F on a candy thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully add wine all at once. (Mixture will sputter and bubble vigorously.) Return mixture to heat over medium-low; stir in orange peel strips, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is syrupy and registers 230°F on a candy thermometer, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool 1 hour. Slice tops and bottoms from remaining 2 oranges; following the shape of each orange, cut away and discard peel and white pith. Slice peeled oranges, including reserved peeled orange from caramel, into 1/8-inch-thick rounds, half-moons, or supremes, as desired. Set aside. Place cream in a large bowl; whisk until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently fold in quark. Divide pavlovas among plates, and top evenly with whipped cream mixture. Top with oranges, and drizzle each with 1 to 2 tablespoons caramel. Garnish with almonds. Make ahead Cooled pavlovas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week. Rate it Print