MERINGUE LAYERS:
6 egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place parchment paper on 2 baking sheets and trace bottoms of 2 round cake pans on each sheet. Beat egg whites until foamy at medium speed. Add salt and cream of tartar. Slowly add sugar and vanilla; continue beating until egg whites are very stiff and shiny. Using a pastry bag or large spoon, pipe meringue into circles, making 4 disks. Bake for 1 hour, or until meringues are crispy. Set aside or keep in an airtight container.
CUSTARD:
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 quart milk
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
Beat egg yolks and sugar on high speed with mixer until they are very thick and creamy. Meanwhile, heat milk until it just comes to a simmer. Remove bowl of mixer from stand and add some hot milk a little at a time to temper eggs to avoid curdling. Continue whisking half of milk in, and then pour mix-ture back into saucepan. Continue to cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and coats back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, and pour into a glass bowl; stir in vanilla. Cover bowl and chill until ready to use.
TO ASSEMBLE:
4 meringue disks
Custard
Place 1 meringue on a cake stand or plate. Pour ½ cup of custard over disk and then top with some blackberries. Continue layering three more times, ending with blackberries on top. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 servings