Preheat oven to 300F. Prepare two 12 x 24″ baking sheets by buttering lightly and then dusting with flour. Knock off the excess. Set aside.
With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk gradually add the 1/2 cup sugar to the egg yolks and the vanilla. Continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow, thick and forms a ribbon. This will take a few minutes.
Beat the egg whites and salt together in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed. Sprinkle in the 1 tbsp sugar and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. Scoop a quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with a quarter of the flour. Fold in with a spatula.
Continue adding another quarter of the egg whites and a quarter of the flour until all is used up and just incorporated leaving your batter light and fluffy. Now scoop the batter into a pastry bag fitted round opening 1/2″ in diameter.
Pipe the fingers out slowly making them 4″ long and 1 1/2″ wide. Sprinkle on the icing sugar. If it is too much you can turn the pan over and the excess will fall off but the fingers will stay on the tray. Try it, it really works!! Bake in the middle of the oven until very pale brown underneath their sugar coating for about 20 min.
These can be served on their own or used in the dessert to follow.
Wash and check over the raspberries. Run them through a fine sieve and into a bowl measuring out 1 1/4 cups of puree. Chill.
Beat the sugar into the egg yolks with a wire attachment on an electric mixer and continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow and falls back on itself forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Now place the bowl over not quite simmering water and beat until the mixture had thickened into a cream and becomes too hot for your finger.
Remove the bowl and set in now in a bowl of iced water and continue to beat until the mixture is cold again forming a slowly dissolving ribbon. Set aside. Beat the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the chilled raspberry puree into the egg yolk mixture and then fold in the whipped cream. Place the round of wax paper in the bottom of the unbuttered mold. Then line the sides (not the bottom) with the upright ladyfingers. Fill the mold with the cream mixture. Place ladyfingers over the cream to fill the mold almost completely. Trim off any protruding ladyfingers around the edges of the mold. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, remove the waxed paper, run a knife around the edge of the mold, and reverse dessert onto a chilled serving dish. Remove waxed paper. Decorate the top of the dessert with fresh berries and whipped cream if you wish, place more berries aroung the dessert.