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THE SHELL:
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1. Preheat the oven to 200°. With a pastry brush or paper towel, lightly butter two ll-by-17-inch baking sheets, sprinkle them with flour, tip them from side to side to spread the flour evenly, then invert them and strike them on the edge of a table to knock out the excess.
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2. Invert an 8-inch plate or layer-cake pan on the floured surface of one baking sheet and tap it with your hand, making a ring to serve as a guide in making the layers of the shell.
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3. Repeat the process on the first sheet and outline 2 similar rings on the other sheet, making 4 guide rings in all, none of them touching one another.
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4. With a wire whisk, or rotary or electric beater, beat the 8 egg whites with the cream of tartar until they begin to foam, then gradually beat in 2¼ cups of the sugar, continuing to beat for at least 5 minutes, or until the whites form stiff, unwavering peaks when the beater is lifted from the bowl.
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5. With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Fit a #8 plain-tipped pastry tube onto a large pastry bag and fill the bag with the meringue.
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6. Pipe a ½-to ¾-inch-thick circle of the meringue just inside one of the marks on the baking sheets and continue it in a closed spiral that ends in the center of the ring (this will be the bottom of the "Torte").
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7. Carefully smooth the top of the spiral with a spatula. Then make plain rings of meringue about ¾ inch thick just inside the 3 other circles on the baking sheets. Bake them in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, then gently slide them off on racks to cool.
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8. To make a top (optional) for the "Torte", make another spiral layer like the first one and bake for 45 minutes. (The top is used to make a more spectacular Wind cake).
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9. Construct the shell by piping about a teaspoon of the meringue onto each of 5 or 6 equidistant spots around the edge of the bottom circle to serve as a cement, then fit one of the rings over this. Continue the process with the 2 other rings, one on the other.
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10. When the shell is completed, set it on a baking sheet and let it dry out in the 200° oven for about 20 minutes or longer if necessary. Let the shell cool.
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THE DECORATION (OPTIONAL):
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1. Use a flat spatula to apply the rest of the meringue in the pastry bag to the outside of the shell to make it smooth, then return it to the oven to dry for another 20 minutes.
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2. Meanwhile prepare more meringue, if you plan to use it, following the directions for the first batch. Fit a #6 star tube onto the pastry bag, put the meringue into the bag and make swirls and rosettes on the outside of the shell and on the circle to be used as a top (optional).
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3. Return both circles to the oven again to dry for about 20 minutes. If you wish to decorate the shell with candied violets, pipe small dabs of meringue around the center of the shell, and one dab in the center of the top spiral circle, and secure the violets on them.
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THE FILLING:
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1. Whip the chilled cream until it begins to thicken, then gradually beat in the sugar.
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2. Continue to beat until the cream is firm enough to hold its shape softly, then beat in the Cognac, and last, fold in the berries with a rubber spatula.
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3. Gently spoon the filling into the shell. If you have prepared the top spiral, lay it gently on top.
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