Sylvanas out of boredom

Sylvanas

November 25, 2011 at around 5:00 PM in the afternoon Mr. Erwin Williams approached me if I could help him in making sylvanas. Since work is done I opted to join him and learn the easiest way to bake sylvanas at the hotel kitchen (Yehey!). For those who are not familiar of  sylvanas, these are oval-shaped, large cookie-sized desserts with a thin meringue on either side of a butter cream filling and dusted with crumbed cookies. Not overly sweet, they are rich, crisp, chewy, and buttery all at the same time (Sounds delicious???). Working in the hotel kitchen is a chaos (but I feel happy of all the chaos.hehe), food for events are prepared on the other side and at the same time dishes for restaurant orders are also being cooked. But it seems magic that at the end of the day everything goes smoothly and guests both from the restaurant and the hotel function are satisfied and pleased. The magic of every dish prepared is credited not only to one chef, but to all the staff who poured out their hard work and dedication in preparing those quality and delicious food.  Teamwork in the kitchen is very important; this is because without cooperation in every kitchen staff, the taste and quality of food will be ignored. 

Please see below the ingredients and procedure in making SYLVANAS.

Ingredients:

For the meringue

8 eggwhites

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup flour (sifted)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup peanuts (diced)

For the butter icing

1 cup Unsalted butter (softened)

3/4 cup fresh milk

3/4 cup sugar

For the coating

2 cups crushed graham crackers/ lady fingers

Procedure

Meringue

In a bowl, stir eggwhites until fluffy.

Gradually add the cream of tartar as well as the sugar.

Slowly pour the flour in the mixture and mix carefully.

Add the nuts in the mixture.

Place the mixture in a pan covered with aluminum foil.

Bring to the oven for at least 30 mins in a 180 F

After baking, cut the meringue and form it into oval shapes.

Set aside

Butter icing

Soften butter using the electric mixer. 

Little by little add sugar into the mixture.

Gradually pour on the fresh milk to soften and neutralize the sugar.

Set aside.

Cookie

Glaze the oval shape meringue with butter icing all over it evenly.

Roll the glazed meringue on crushed grahams.

Place it on cookie paper cups and refrigerate.

The unexpected dessert

One Sunday after arranging the groceries, I came up with making Smores with honeycomb on top… snack for that afternoon for the family. Because of super day dreaming about it the past few days, I decided to make it for them. I started making the honeycomb first. Honeycomb is a sweet crunchy treat that melts in your mouth, similar to sugar brittles but more delicate and breaks easily.. (Details for the making honeycomb is listed below) This first time making the honeycomb is a breakthrough for me since this is one of those favorite desserts that I would love to make. I’ve been looking for the recipe of this kind of candy, and recently I found it and knew what the name is, and it is HONEYCOMB. One thing I would advise in making this is instead of following the recipe for the amount of baking soda, make it half instead since it gets bitter when baking soda is more. And one more thing, make sure that the sugar syrup is in its perfect syruppy condition(haha), a condition wherein it is in amber color and very velvety or I may say near to sticky, so that it won’t melt easily. After making the honeycomb, the layered Smores is the next thing to do. Smores are usually  famous campfire treats, if you have a cracker, a chocolate bar and a marshmallow, you now have a snack to bite. Smores are just more on the pattern of layering, one on top of the other. After making the Smores and topped the honeycomb on it, I tried a bite, but to my dismay I wasn’t happy about it. I didn’t know why but I have a feeling that after I tasted it is not suited as a snack, it cannot satisfy your hungry stomach either, because for me, the snack I made was a dessert, because the moment I ate it, I did’nt felt it was a snack, but it was a sweet tasty treat. And basing it on the reactions of the people at home after eating, they didn't grab for more, usually if I'm making a snack for them, they want more than just one slice/layer of it, the maximum slices that was eaten as I remember was just 2 is to 1 person. The believed Smores as a snack was actually a dessert by nature for me.

 SMORES w/ HONEYCOMB RECIPE
Ingredients:
For Honeycomb            
* 3/4 cup white sugar    
* 1/4 cup water               
* 2 tbsp honey                
* 2 tsp/1 tsp baking soda
For Smores
* 1 pack graham crackers
* 1 pack marshmallows 
* 500 grams chocolate buttons

Procedure
For Honeycomb  
1. Mix sugar, water and honey in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.
Bring it into a boil until amber in color and very syruppy.
2. Add the baking soda into the sugar syrup until foamy.
3. Pour immediately in a parchment paper and let it cool.
4. Break into small pieces or as desired.
For the Smores
1. Open Graham Cracker pack to let the biscuit soften.
Cut graham crackers into square sizes.
2. On top of it, add 2 chocolate buttons, place it in oven
to melt the chocolate.
3. After melting the chocolate, place marshmallow on top,
place it back to the oven and let the mallows melt. Make
sure it will not get burned.
4. Layer another square size graham on top of the mallow.
Add another marshmallow on top of the cracker. Let it melt 
in the oven.
5. Sprinkle on top with honeycomb pieces.

Unang hirit sa blog na ito!

This is it! My very own blog about one of my life's interests.. FOOD and everything about it.. 
This blog will chronicle all of my very own revised recipes of the food I love. I will post a step-by-step process of delicious and mouthwatering dishes which I will produce this coming days..
I hope you enjoy and try making these dishes in your homes.
And for me, may this blog serve as a stepping stone to a bright future in the food business and my  cooking career.. Wapak!!!


Bon appetit!  
Guten Appetit! 
Buon Appetito! 
Chúc mọi người ăn ngon miệng!