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Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw 3 – 6 inch circles on the paper. Turn the parchment paper over so the circles are on the reverse side. Finely chop pecans and toss in a tablespoon of powdered sugar. Set aside.
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In the bowl of your electric stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium low speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat, on high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff and shiny peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, gently fold in. Fold in the pecans.
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Place the meringue in a piping bag with a large round tip and create the cake layers using the circles as your outline. Start by piping a dot in the center of your circle, then in one continuous motion go around the dot to make a bigger circle until you have your circle completely filled. Use an off-set spatula to smooth it out.
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Bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes or until the outside is dry and crisp. Turn the oven off, leave the oven door slightly ajar, and let the meringues cool completely in the oven (a couple of hours).
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The cooled meringues can be made and stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place, or in the refrigerator, for a few days.
