Silvanas

From the irresistible crunch of its nutty meringue to the richness of its buttercream, silvanas make the perfectdessert to whip up at home.

Makes 10 pieces

Prep Time 45 minutes

Baking Time 15 minutes

For the meringue

1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cashews

Egg whites from 4 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

For the buttercream

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

Egg yolks from 4 large eggs

1 large egg1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened and cut into 16 cubes

1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

1 Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease and flour cookie sheets; set aside. Grease and flour several 3-inch round

molds.

2 Make the meringue: Combine flour and cashews in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade

attachment. Process until the nuts are finely chopped; set aside.

3 In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff

but not dry.

4 Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Fold in flour-nut mixture gradually.

5 Arrange the round molds on the prepared cookie sheet. pipe mixture into the molds or spread evenly using an

offset spatula.

6 Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes beforeremoving from the molds. Set aside. Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a total of about 40 meringue

discs.

7 Place 20 meringue discs and any broken discs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade

attachment. Process to make crumbs. Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside.

8 Make the buttercream: Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. boil until it reaches 238°F.

9 Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and whole egg in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddleattachment. Whip on high speed for about 10 minutes or until the mixture forms a ribbon pattern when the paddle

is lifted. The mixture should be pale yellow. Add salt.

10 When the sugar syrup has reached its desired temperature, carefully pour the boiling syrup into the eggmixture in a slow, steady stream. Whip continuously on high speed until the mixture has cooled and the bowl is

cool to the touch.

11 Lower mixer speed to medium. Gradually add butter, 1 cube at a time. The mixture might look broken and

curdled. Whip a little longer and the mixture willcome together. Once smooth, add vanilla extract.

12 To assemble, spread about 1 to 2 tablespoons buttercream on one side of a meringue disc. Cover withanother meringue disc to make a sandwich.

13 Spread buttercream all over the sandwich to cover all surfaces, including the sides. Roll the Silvanas inmeringue crumbs, then refrigerate or freeze until the buttercream is firm.

Photography by Patrick Martires | Styling by Rachelle Santos