As a kid sansrival was such a treat. So decadent, so buttery, salty, chewy, and crisp. While most Filipino desserts had glutinous characteristics ( we inherited that from our southeast Asian neighbors) sansrival stood out as very European. As a little kid in a bakery in Manila, the world became bigger and very tasty because of desserts like this. And only when I started studying food did I make the technical connections to desserts like Merveilleaux or Pavlova, all of which I love to eat! Sansrival, though, is of course, my special “happy-evoking” version.
There are so many versions of Sansrival’s origin. From the name (Sans Rival, lit. “unrivaled”) it seems rooted in France, yet some say it’s the Spaniards version of a Russian Imperial torte. Others write that in the 1920’s after Filipinos returned from travel to Europe, they started introducing cooking techniques they learned while living in Europe. I like to think that the Filipino sense of humor named it Sans Rival as an answer to and play on the Belgian dessert, merveilleaux which translates to great, marvelous, wonderful.
Recipe:
Yield - 6-inch round with 4 layers of meringue. This dessert is so decadent that it’s enough for 8 to 12 mini slices.
Meringue:
2 cups cashew nuts, toasted and cooled
4 ea egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat your oven to 325 F.
Draw four 6-inch circles on parchment paper and use it to line your baking sheet.
Using a food processor, pulse the cashews and set aside 1 cup of larger chopped pieces. Continue to process the remaining cashews into very fine sand consistency. This is your cashew flour.
Combined egg whites and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl with the whisk attachment and whip until frothy. Then gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue to whip until you reach stiff peaks.
Carefully fold in the cashew flour, salt, and vanilla extract keeping the mixture light and airy and not deflated.
Transfer meringue into a piping bag with a large round tip and begin to pipe meringue circles filling each circle you drew to make disks. These will be your layers so make them as even as possible.
Bake your meringue disks for about 20 to 25 min until they are golden brown. Cool.
French buttercream:
This is a double batch to ensure you have plenty to layer and ice with.
8 each egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 cups butter
Place yolk in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat the eggs about 5 minutes until light in color.
Place your sugar and water in a small sauce pan. Do not mix. Heat at medium low and when the sugar is fully dissolved and bubbles up in the middle, take off heat and slowly tricke onto the egg yolks while continuing to beat.
After all the hot syrup is added, continue to beat the mixture until it cools down to room temp. Gradually add the butter a tablespoon at a time. Keep beating and don’t worry if it separates, just keep beating until the buttercream comes back together.
Assembly:
Start with the meringue, then layer with buttercream, then sprinkle the rough chopped cashews, then top with the meringue and repeat the layering. Once you’ve topped with the last meringue, ice your sansrival with the buttercream and finish with the chopped cashews.
Refrigerate so set for 3 hours.
You can also freeze the sansrival. In fact it is delicious as a frozen treat.
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