Pavlova with Raspberries

The debate continues whether the meringue based dessert, Pavlova, originated in New Zealand or Australia. There is no debate that it was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, in the 1920s.

The Pavlova should be crisp and golden on the outside and soft, light and marshmallow like on the inside.
The base:
4 large egg whites (room temp)
1 cup very fine sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch
Beat egg whites until stiff. Add sugar a spoonful at a time and continue to beat until sugar is dissolved before adding more. Continue to beat until meringue is thick and glossy. Fold in the vanilla, white vinegar and cornstarch. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment, spread out the meringue in an eight inch circle. It will be about 2 inches high. (alternately, you can spread them into several circles for individual meringues).
Bake in a preheated 250F oven for 40-50 minutes, turn off oven and leave meringue to cool in oven. The outside should be firm. This can be made the day ahead. Store in a dry container.

Topping:
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat together until thick.
To assemble Pavlova, spread whipped cream topping on top and inside meringue and top with fresh raspberries.
Note: Use any fruit or combination of your choice, mango, strawberries, kiwi etc.