Silvanas

Description
From the irresistible crunch of its nutty meringue to the richness of its buttercream, silvanas make the perfect dessert to whip up at home. End your meal on a sweet note with delicious Silvanas recipe.

Ingredients

 * ¼ cup all-purpose flour
 * ¼ cup cashews
 * 5 eggs, with whites and yolks separated, then including one piece intact
 * 1 ¾ cup sugar, with brown sugar at 1 cup, and white at ¾ cup
 * ¼ cup water, hot or lukewarm only
 * ⅛ teaspoon salt
 * 1 cup butter, softened and cut into 16 cubes
 * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

 * 1) Preheat oven to 300° F. Grease and flour cookie sheets; set aside.
 * 2) Grease and flour several 3-inch round molds.
 * 3) To 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.
 * 4) In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff only but not dry.
 * 5) Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Mix up the flour-nut mixture gradually.
 * 6) Arrange the round molds on the prepared cookie sheet. Pipe mixture into the molds or spread evenly using an offset spatula.
 * 7) Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before removing from the molds. Set aside.
 * 8) Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a total of about 40 meringue discs.
 * 9) Place 20 meringue discs and any broken discs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process to make crumbs.
 * 10) Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside.
 * 11) To make the buttercream: Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Boil until it reaches 238° F.
 * 12) Meanwhile, combine the egg yolks and whole egg in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
 * 13) 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. Just add salt.
 * 14) When the sugar syrup has reached its desired temperature, carefully pour the boiling syrup into the egg mixture in a slow, steady stream. Whip continuously on high speed until the mixture has cooled and the bowl is cool to the touch.
 * 15) Lower the mixer's speed to medium. Gradually add butter, 1 cube at a time.
 * 16) The mixture might look broken and curdled. Whip a little longer and the mixture will come together. Once smooth, add vanilla extract.
 * 17) To assemble, spread about 1 to 2 tablespoons buttercream on one side of a meringue disc. Cover with another meringue disc to make a sandwich.
 * 18) Spread buttercream all over the sandwich to cover all surfaces, including the sides.
 * 19) Roll the Silvanas in meringue crumbs, then refrigerate or freeze until the buttercream is firm. Serve cold and plain or with other desserts. Sell per piece, if desired.