Zest and juice one of the oranges and pour the juice into a large mixing bowl. Slice the remaining orange into ¼-inch rounds.
With a vegetable peeler, peel the pears, leaving them whole. Add the pears to the bowl with the orange juice and toss to coat (this will help prevent them from turning brown too quickly).
Add the orange slices, red wine, honey, sugar, cinnamon stick, and cardamom to a saucepan.
Place the pan over a medium-high heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and carefully add the pears and orange juice. Cover and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, occasionally rotating them using a wooden spoon, until the pears have softened enough for a skewer inserted in the middle of a pear at the thickest part to be met with no resistance.
Transfer the pears back to the bowl that you tossed with orange juice. Set aside to cool.
Next, make the pavlova: preheat the oven to 120C / 100C Fan. Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on low until foamy, then increase to medium until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the caster sugar 1 tbsp at a time, whisking until dissolved. Increase the speed to high and whisk for 8 minutes, or until stiff peaks form and there are no grains of sugar dispersed in the mixture. Test this by rubbing some of the meringue between your thumb and index finger, it shouldn’t feel grainy.
Add the vinegar and whisk for a further 10 seconds until just combined.
Sieve in the cornflour and cocoa powder, then fold in with a large metal spoon. Take care to keep in as much air as possible.
Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper - using some of the meringue as glue to stick down the base of the baking paper to the tray. Pile the meringue in the middle, then lightly and evenly distribute into a dome about 15 cm in diameter.
Scoop out a little from the middle, to create a shallow volcano cavity, then add back to the sides and evenly distribute. Once smooth, using a butter knife or small palette knife, glide vertically up the surface and across the top of the pavlova on a slight angle to form a striped pattern. Clean up the cavity if necessary, then bake in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Next, turn the oven off but don’t open the oven door. Leave the pavlova inside to cool completely for at least 4 hours.
Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce: put the chopped chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Slowly bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir well until the chocolate is completely melted.
To serve: set the cooled pavlova onto a plate. Top with the gently whipped cream and cooled poached pears. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and enjoy!
To add a bit of texture, sprinkle this Christmas pavlova with toasted chopped nuts. Hazelnuts and almonds are delicious. I also love pistachios as the green looks super festive. Alternatively, crushed amaretti biscuits are divine!