Ingredients
- 4 egg whites (5 oz)
- 1 cup superfine sugar (granulated is fine)
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tsp corn starch
Topping
- 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- mixed berries or other fruit
- Preheat the oven to 275F and place the rack in middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment and draw a 7-inch circle with pencil and then flip the parchment over so the pencil side is down. Set aside.
- In a clean, medium-sized metal bowl, beat the egg whites with a clean electric mixer (whisk attachment) starting at low speed and slowly increasing to medium after a minute or two. Beat until the whites form soft peaks.
- Gently sprinkle the sugar into the egg whites, one teaspoon at a time. Continue to beat the egg whites while adding all the sugar, increasing mixing speed to high gradually. Your egg whites should now be thick and glossy with stiff peaks.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch and vinegar on the meringue and beat an additional 5-7 seconds on low speed. Fold in vanilla.
- Now gently spread the meringue in the circle on the parchment to make a circular base. Make sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher then the center so you have a very small well in the middle.
- Bake the meringue for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until it goes a pale, pinkish egg shell color. Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar to let the meringue cool completely. As the meringue cools, it will crack slightly.
- Just before serving, take the meringue out of the oven and remove it gently from the parchment and place on a plate. (You can also cover and refrigerate the meringue base until you're ready to serve it.)
- Whip the cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar until it forms peaks. Gently spread the cream to the top of the meringue with a spatula and arrange the fruit on top.
