The winner of TABLE’s Annual Holiday Bake Off, according to both judges and guests, was Karen Unger, who works at Allegheny Country Club. Inspired by her workplace, she created a Holiday Pavlova featuring matcha pavlova, vanilla bean mascarpone, lemon curd, pomegranate seeds, and candied pistachio and lemon peels. It took her six tries to perfect the recipe, yet Unger says baking is all about learning and persistence.
Unger made her Holiday Pavlova as a part of our second annual TABLE Magazine Holiday Bake Off where five professionals and five student pastry chefs went head-to-head in a battle for the most decadent dessert.
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Holiday Pavlova
Description
Matcha pavlova, vanilla bean mascarpone, lemon curd, pomegranate seeds, candied pistachio, and lemon peels.
Ingredients
For the matcha pavlova:
- 8 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tbsp matcha powder
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
For the vanilla bean mascarpone:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup mascarpone
- 5 sheets gelatin
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla pod
Instructions
For the matcha pavlova:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer on high, until the egg whites hold stiff peaks. Continue to beat the egg whites while slowly adding the sugar, a bit at a time, until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Once it is well-combined, sprinkle in the cornstarch and matcha and continue to beat until the mixture is glossy, about 5 more minutes.
- Spoon the meringue mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees. Immediately transfer the pavlova to the oven.
- Bake the pavlova for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool completely inside of the oven, letting it sit for at least 2 hours.
- Store the pavlova in an airtight container until ready to decorate and serve. Try not to decorate more than a couple of hours in advance or the pavlova will soften.
For the vanilla bean mascarpone:
- In a bowl of cold water, rehydrate gelatin sheets for 10 minutes.
- Spread the vanilla pod with a knife, split it lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the vanilla beans to the mascarpone.
- In a saucepan, heat the mascarpone and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the gelatine and stir to dissolve. Remove the mascarpone mixture from the heat.
- In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff. Once the desired texture has been achieved, gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone using a blender.
- When the mixture is smooth, leave to rest in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- Once the cream has cooled and set, stir it vigorously until it falls slightly: this will make it easier to use for piping onto pavlova.
- Use a piping bag to pipe the cream onto the pavlova.
Check out more recipes from our Annual Holiday Bake Off!
Recipe by Karen Unger
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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