Preheat the oven to 200F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small bowl as a guide, draw six 4-inch circles on the paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and salt or cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually beat in the sugar, beating until the egg whites are glossy. Beat in the vanilla until just blended.

Place the meringue mixture in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch decorative tip. Pipe around the outline of the parchment circles, then fill the circles in completely. On top of the meringue circles, pipe around the edge, creating sides for the "nest."

Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the meringue is dry. Turn off the oven and leave overnight to allow the meringues to dry completely.

To serve, fill with your choice of ice cream, fresh fruit and berries, chocolate mousse, sorbet, etc. (Ice cream-filled meringues can be prepared ahead and kept in the freezer until serving time.) Garnish with fresh berries.

To store empty meringues for later use, place in a paper bag and keep at room temperature.

Variations:

• To make meringue mushrooms, fill a pastry bag with a 1/4 inch round tip with meringue. Pressing the tip to the pan, pipe out several meringue buttons on the parchment paper, allowing the meringue to spread slightly before lifting the tip. These will serve as mushroom caps. To make the stems, squeeze out several 3/4 inch high cone shapes. Bake about 1 hour, or until the meringue is dry. To assemble, with a small knife pierce a hole in the bottom of the mushroom cap. Spread a dab of frosting in the hole and insert the pointed end of the stem.
• To make a chocolate meringue, add 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the sugar mixture.
• For a nutty flavor, gently add 3 teaspoons of ground roasted hazelnuts after the sugar.