Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and trace a circle onto the paper using an 8 inch cake pan
Whip up the egg whites until they are thick and frothy
Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, whipping well in between each addition. Do not rush this step or your sugar won't dissolve properly and you'll have a grainy meringue. Check the sugar is dissolved by rubbing some meringue in between your fingers, it should be smooth and not gritty. If it is gritty, keep whisking
Once sugar is entirely incorporated, mix cornstarch and vinegar in a bowl, then add to the meringue and whip to combine
Pour the meringue mixture out onto the parchment paper, inside the circle you traced. Spread it out to the edges of the circle to form a round mass. You can make this as rustic or as neat as you like
Put into the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 250°F / 120°C
Bake for one hour and 15 minutes. The pavlova should look crispy on the outside and be firm to the touch, not wet. It should also lift off of the baking paper easily
Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in there until it has completely cooled. If you need the oven back before then, you can take it out after an hour, but do not take it out right away or the temperature change will cause crackingIn the meantime you can prepare the pumpkin spice curd
Assemble and Decorate
Whip the cream until soft peaks form
If there are any big dips, cracks or cavities in your pavlova, you can use the whipped cream to fill the gaps. No shame here! Pavlova is meant to be rustic!
Once you have a nice level surface, spoon the pumpkin spice curd on top and use a knife to push it out to the edges
Top with more cream - be generous!
Chop up some pecans and sprinkle on top of the cream along with a few chocolate shavings