Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees; grease and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides.

Place the egg whites in your mixer bowl with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until the surface is completely covered with tiny bubbles. It’s important to go slowly so that you create tiny bubbles – you’ll now have a nice strong base so that when you raise the speed and add the sugar the meringue whips up really stiff and glossy. Large bubbles are less stable and will lead to a weaker meringue.

Add the cream of tartar and raise the speed to medium. When you see tracks form, slowly add 1 cup of the sugar along with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract, and then raise the speed to high, beating till the mixture is glossy and stiff.

Spread the mixture into your prepared baking sheet (I find a small angled spatula is the best tool for this). Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes - the meringue should be golden brown. In the meantime place a piece of parchment paper on a wire rack. Clean the bowl and whisk.

Let the pan cool on a second wire rack for 5 minutes. Dust with confectioner's sugar and invert onto the parchment paper-lined rack. Remove the baked parchment and let cool for 20 minutes.

Beat the heavy cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, till stiff peaks form.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve in thick slices.