In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the pinch of salt and then the sugar slowly, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is shiny and quite stiff.

Note: It's ok if it doesn't quite form perfectly stiff peaks, but it should be close to that point. See picture for reference.

Trace the bottom of a 9" round cake pan onto a piece of parchment paper with pencil and turn the paper over onto a cookie sheet (pencil side down) so that you can see the outline of the circle.

Spoon the meringue into a large, 18" piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as tip #846). Pipe 2 rows of shells around the outside of the circle, and then use a palette knife or the back of a spoon to fill the middle of the circle with more meringue. Pipe two more rows of shells on top of the first ones, and then a finishing layer of meringue rosettes on top of that.

Note: Clean the piping tip to be ready for the cream later on.

Bake the meringue in a 225 degree F oven for 1 hour or until dry and just barely golden. Turn the heat off, and allow the meringue to rest in the warm oven for 2 hours with the door closed.

While the meringue is baking, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk briefly, and then add a little bit of the milk slowly until the mixture forms a smooth paste. Add the remaining milk, whisking until smooth. Beat the egg yolk thoroughly, and whisk it into the milk mixture.

Cook over low-medium heat, whisking constantly to prevent burning. Cook until the mixture is thickened. Remove from the heat, whisk in the vanilla, and poor into a glass bowl. Set a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent it from forming a "skin" while it cools, and refrigerate until cold.

Optional: To make your custard silky smooth, make sure you use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken it, and press it through a sieve before you cover and refrigerate it.

Once the meringue is baked and the custard has cooled, wash and slice all of the fruit as desired. Carefully loosen the meringue from the parchment paper and slide it onto a serving plate.

In a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Spoon the cream into a large, 18" piping bag fitted with the same (cleaned) star tip you used to pipe the meringue. Set aside.

Scrape the cooled custard into the centre of the baked meringue shell. Spread the custard evenly, and then pipe 2 rows of cream in a circular motion all the way around the perimeter of the pavlova. Spread any remaining cream into the centre.

Decorate with layers of fruit (I did strawberries, then kiwis, raspberries, and blueberries). Refrigerate until serving. Serve within 2-3 hours of assembly.