Draw a 6 inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. Flip it upside down and place it on a greased cookie sheet.

Spread the sugar on a quarter (or similar) baking pan and set it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 F (this warms the sugar so it dissolves quicker).

Set the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer (it should be clean and dry) and use the whisk attachment to begin whisking. Once it starts to foam at the top, add the cream of tartar. Keep whisking until the egg whites are fully frothy (even on the bottom).

Slowly add the sugar to the whipping egg whites, one spoonful at a time, aiming for the middle of the bowl where the whisk is working. Once all the sugar is in, use a large rubber spatula to scrape the edges to ensure all the sugar is being whisked. Set the speed to medium and whisk until you get close to stiff peaks: the meringue should be thick, glossy and nearly hold shape. Add the salt and vanilla and whisk to stiff peaks, the meringue should hold shape when the whisk is turned upside down.

Press about a quarter cup of freeze dried strawberries through a fine mesh sieve until you have about 1.5 tablespoons of strawberry powder. Add the powder to the meringue, along with the starch.

Use a clean rubber spatula to fold the powders into the meringue, making large J shapes in the bowl. Don’t over do the folds, less the meringue breaks.

Dollop the meringue onto the prepared pan within the circle drawn. Use an offset spatula to shape the pavlova into a pretty dome, making line swoops on the sides and indenting the top with a well (where the filling will go).

Place the pavlova in the 325 F oven, then lower the temperature to 300 F and bake for 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, lower the heat to 275 F and bake for another 30-45 minutes until the pavlova is dry and firm to touch. Leave the pavlova to cool in the oven for a few hours or overnight before serving.

To serve, dollop the whipped cream into the center where you made the ‘well” then pile on the fresh, sliced berries. Serve within the hour.