Make the pomegranate curd: In a small bowl combine ¼ cup pomegranate juice and the tapioca or cornstarch. Whisk and set aside. Set the butter, cubed into a bowl and over the bowl a fine mesh sieve. In a pot stir together ¾ cup pomegranate juice, eggs, yolks, salt, lime juice & zest and sugar. Set the pot over medium heat and whisk until the sugar melts, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved pomegranate & tapioca starch and whisk. Stir the curd until it thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon (it will thicken on the bottom at first but stir it with a rubber spatula until it’s all thick). Pour it through the fine mesh sieve (this removes any bits) and stir it until the butter is incorporated and the curd is smooth. Set in the fridge in a heatproof jar to chill. This can be done 24 hours or up to 3 days ahead of time.

Make the pavlova: Preheat oven to 275 F and line a greased cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bring a pot filled ⅓ of the way with water to a simmer. Set the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl over the pot (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Whisk the egg whites and sugar for about 4 minutes as it gently heats. When you can pinch the mixture and not detect any sugar granules, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip the mix on medium for about 10 minutes; it’ll slowly turn into a thick, fluffy meringue. When you almost have stiff peaks, add the vanilla, salt, cornstarch and vinegar (one by one, carefully and slowly).

Shape and bake the pavlova: Dollop the meringue onto the prepared cookie sheet into a big mound then use an offset spatula to shape it into a 6” circle/dome. Press the top down a bit to create a cave shape on top. Use a wet finger to swipe clean the bottom of the meringue, getting the tip of your finger under it slightly (so that it’s not too flat on the bottom). Bake it for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, then shut off the oven and leave the pavlova in there for at least another hour (preferably overnight).

Assemble the pavlova: Whip the heavy cream with the sugar & salt in a food processor or with a hand beater until you have medium peaks. Right before you’d like to serve the dish, spread half of the curd around the top of the pavlova. Dollop the whipped cream on top of the curd then top with fresh pomegranate arils.