This edible wreath is almost too pretty to eat (but seriously, you should dive in — it’s delicious.) Crisp and crunchy meringue lies beneath a ruby red cranberry, raspberry and pomegranate sauce.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- One 10-ounce bag fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed and drained if frozen
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 4 cups fresh raspberries
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
- Leaves from 1 bunch fresh mint
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 225 degrees F. Line the back of a baking sheet with parchment. Use a 12-inch bowl as a stencil: Flip it upside down and trace a 12-inch circle onto the parchment. Use a 9-inch bowl to trace a circle inside the 12- inch one. This is the outline of your wreath.
- For the wreath: Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in the very clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until thick and opaque, about 1 minute more. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until stiff, shiny peaks form, 13 to 15 minutes.
- Build the wreath: Using the template on the parchment as your guide, drop dollops of meringue in a line along the inside of the 12-inch circle. Use a rubber spatula to help clean off your spoon between dollops. Following the 9-inch circle and slightly overlapping the outer ring of meringue, make an inner ring of meringue dollops to fill in the rest of the template. Flatten the meringue slightly with the back of the spoon, making sure to keep a lot of peaks. Bake the meringue until it is dry, crisp, and pearly white on the outside, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Meanwhile, make the cranberry sauce: Bring the cranberries, sugar and lemon juice to a simmer in medium saucepan and cook until the cranberries are soft and just begin to burst and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool completely. Gently fold in the raspberries and pomegranate seeds. Whip the heavy cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
- Before serving, spread the whipped cream on the meringue. Spoon over the cranberry sauce and sprinkle with mint leaves.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 335 |
| Total Fat | 9 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 32 milligrams |
| Sodium | 171 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 61 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 grams |
| Protein | 4 grams |
| Sugar | 52 grams |
Reviews
How far ahead could I make this if stored in an airtight container?
This was delicious and fun to make. It was so pretty, too. I wish I could share pics! There was way more topping than we could use, so I think I might drop everything down by 25% going forward. We couldn’t find fresh cranberries so I had to use jellied canned cranberry sauce, but it worked beautifully. I whipped it and spread it in a dish and stuck it in the freezer while the meringue baked. It was thick and frosty and nice to fold the berries into. The tang of of the berries and pomegranate seeds provided a wonderful balance to the sweet meringue, and the crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth meringue was irresistable. Gotta eat it all because it doesn’t store well! This will now be on my regular annual holiday baking list!
Super easy and delicious. The berries add freshness to the sweet meringue. A total success.
This recipe is AWESOME! And so impressive! I chose to omit the pomegranate and instead stir in some thawed unsweetened raspberries and a bit of framboise (raspberry liqueur). Next time (non Christmas) I think I will make this with individual meringues rather than the wreath. And for the leftovers, we mixed everything together a little and turned it into an English Eton Mess. Yum!
Excellent, easy, beautiful and delicious dessert. Everyone loved it. Even though many of the reviews I read talked about the meringue not holding up to the weight of the berries, I made it anyway and dint have that issue. This will be on my holiday baking list each year!
I used only raspberries and put vanilla ice cream in between the layers of meringue. Delicious!!
Isn’t this just a Pavlova variant? Delish. I add a bit of white vinegar, cocoa and fold in some chocolate bits.
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Easy, yet impressive, mine took longer in the oven. Next time, I’d pipe the wreath, as I struggled with the spoon method. It’s pretty large and could definitely be cut down for a smaller crowd. Overall, delicious.
I don’t remember which year I made this, but it was one of my favorite Christmas desserts!