Cranberry Curd Pavlova

Here's another show-stopper for the Thanksgiving dessert table!  It's a new and delicious way to use cranberries!  It does require a good bit of time to make, so plan in advance.

Cranberry Curd Pavlova

Ingredients

Meringues

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

• Cranberry Curd

• 6 oz. cranberries (thawed if frozen)
• 3/4 cups sugar, divided
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp. butter, at room temp and cut in pieces

• Whipped Cream

• 1 cup cream
• 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Serves 8-10
Cook time: 1 1/2 hours, plus several hours to set up

​Preheat oven to 225°.  Beat the egg whites at medium-high speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer, using whisk attachment, 1 minute; add the salt, beating until blended. Make a slurry with the cornstarch and vinegar, add to egg whites.  Add sugar mixture, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating until mixture is glossy, stiff peaks form, and sugar dissolves. (Do not over beat.) 
Gently spread enough meringue onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to make a 8-inch round (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches high). Create a bowl-shaped depression in center of meringue to later hold the cranberry curd.
Bake at 225° for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until outsides have formed a crust. Turn oven off; let meringues stand in oven, with door closed, 2 to 10 hours.
Meanwhile, put the cranberries, sugar, and water to a simmer in a saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer the cranberries, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until they've popped and the mixture is thick. Let cool slightly and then puree until completely smooth (you can either use an immersion blender or pour it into a regular blender).  Strain through a mesh strainer and set aside.
Whisk the puree, the eggs, yolks, salt, and lemon juice together in a saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, this will take about 10 minutes or so. Stay by the pan the whole time and stir!
Let the curd cool for a few minutes and then drop the room temperature butter in, bit by bit, while you stir to melt it.  Refrigerate curd until ready to make pavlova a few hours before serving the pavlova; you'll want the curd to come up to room temperature adding to pavlova.  No more than one hour before serving stir curd and add to depression in meringue.  Top with whipped cream (just whip together cream, sugar, and vanilla)  and serve within and hour.