~ a sneak peek ~

so what got into me that made me bear to prepare the sinful Pinoy specialty? well, just like most of us overseas pinoys who depend on doing homemade comfort foods to satisfy our cravings, a day came that i thought i can't take it anymore! i have to have sans rival! so i searched the net and looked for relatively easy recipes on the subject. there were just a few so it wasn't very difficult to decide, so i just picked the easiest one, the one from mia, since she'd already tried it. and as mia described it, it was a lot of work, very time consuming and messy! but in the end, it was all sweet!

what better way to document my first ever attempt to this 6-hour labor than to post my success of this first attempt. it took me a lot of time because i was using just one hand mixer. here is the recipe - looks simple and easy (yes, it just LOOKS), in case you would be "crazy" enough for sans rival:

Wafer/Merengue
12 egg whites
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups finely chopped cashew

Buttercream
1 lb butter
12 egg yolks
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cashew (for topping)

1. Preheat oven 300F.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, lightly grease with butter.
3. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil (medium heat) until the syrup has a threadlike consistency.
4. While sugar is cooking (about 30 minutes), beat egg whites in a separate bowl until foamy. Sprinkle with cream of tartar.
5. Gradually add 2 cups sugar. Continue to beat until it forms soft peaks.
6. Fold in the 2 cups finely chopped nuts. Spread on cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
8. To test the sugar, drop a drop of syrup into cold water. It should form a ball.
9. When the sugar is semi-ready, beat 1 pound butter until light and fluffy.
10. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and frothy.
11. Slowly add hot syrup to egg yolks, beat at high speed.
12. Beat in whipped butter.
13. If the four layers of wafers are not yet ready, put the buttercream in the refrigerator to keep it from melting.
14. Once ready, spread buttercream over a layer of wafer, top with the coarsely chopped cashew. Repeat procedure until all layers are finished.
15. Put in freezer until ready to serve.

Labels: at home