Gluten Free Fresh Cherry Pavlova

For the meringue shell:

1. Preheat oven to 250F.
2. Place a large piece of parchment on a baking sheet and trace a 9-inch circle with a pencil, using a 9-inch plate or pan to guide you.
3. Flip parchment over so that circle is still visible but won’t leave lines on the meringue.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and arrowroot starch. Set aside.
5. In a large, clean bowl, using clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy.
6. Add salt, cream of tartar and almond or vanilla extract.
7. Continue to beat egg whites until soft peaks form (tips should just curl over when the beaters are lifted).
8. With the beaters running, add sugar/starch 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form when beaters are lifted.
9. Spread mixture to fill the circle on the parchment, making the sides an inch or so higher than the center.
10. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking on it frequently, until outside is just the lightest golden brown and feels dry to the touch. If meringue appears to be browning too quickly or cracking during baking, reduce oven temperature to 225F.
11. Turn off oven and prop open door with a wooden spoon.
12. Let meringue cool completely inside oven.

For the filling:

1. Combine cream, vanilla and stevia extracts in a large bowl and beat until soft peaks form.

To assemble:

1. Gently peel cooled shell off parchment and transfer to a serving platter.
2. Fill center well with whipped cream and top with cherries.
3. Serve immediately (meringue shell will soften and become gummy if filled with cream too early).