Macadamia Sylvanas & A Big Christmas Brunch.

It's has taken me a while to fully embrace the holiday season - but there is nothing like a busy day of cooking christmas treats to get into the spirit. For this month's Kulinarya theme - we were asked to share a recipe for something you could give as a present or include in the "Noche Buena" tradition. This is the Christmas tradition that many Filipinos, including my family participate in. It involves stuffing yourself silly until 12 mindnight on Christmas eve - need I say more? 

I made a sweet dessert that is not very well known, but super delicious - Macadamia Sylvanas. It is pretty much buttercream with Macadamia nuts, sandwiched in between 2 super chewy meringue discs made with crushed macadamias and egg whites. It's a macadamia overload. Traditionally, they are made with cashews but of course I had to change it up. These sandwiches are frozen and served very very cold.

The sides are then rolled in more toasted crushed macadamia pieces, but you can't really tell with the photos. I think the macadamias give it a but of contrast from the sugary biscuit and buttercream filling. I used a cookie cutter to get the disks and froze the sylvanas as they are best served rock solid. I have included the reicpe I used at the end of the post. 

This weekend, we also had to endure a marathon cooking session for Sunday Christmas brunch. It is the last weekend before Christmas, and since Demos and I are going on holidays on Christmas night - it was nice to spend some time with family and friends. Yes, the excitement is kicking in - this time next week we will be eating our way around Hong Kong, and then travelling to Manila - my first time back since I moved to Australia nearly 12 years ago. So lucky for us the weather turned out beautifully, here is a photoroll of our boozy sunday brunch:

 1. Omnious clouds; 2. Veuve Breakfast; 3. My new apron!; 4. Grilled asparagus with tomatoes; 5. Antipasti

 1. First cheese plate; 2. Flora; 3. More Bubbles 4. Patries from Fratelli Paradiso; 5.Duck eggs

 1. Hot Antipasto and Chorizo; 2. Grilled Mushrooms; 3. Cold Cuts; 4. Bacon; 5. The Spread

 1. Fruit Porn; 2.Spinach Fritata; 3.Clear skies!; 4. Baked Ricotta in Filo Pastry; 5.More Flora

 1-5. Happy Snaps

1.Greek Almond Shortbread - homemade; 2.Truffle Honey - My addiction 3.Cheese plate no. two 4.Hello Pavlova.

Macadamia Sylvanas
Ingredients for the Biscuit
- 1/2 Cup egg whites
- 1/2 Cup caster sugar
- 1/4 Cup all purpose flour
-1/2  Cup finely ground and sifted macadamias
For the Filling
- 250 G Butter
- 3/4 Cup Sugar
-1/4 Cup Evaporated Milk
- 1/2 Cup roughly chopped and toasted macadamia nuts
Instructions
For the Biscuit
- Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and form peaks, and gradually add in the 1/2 cup sugar. Gently fold in the flour and the sifted finely ground macadamias.
- On a flat cookie sheet (I lined mine with a silicone sheet) spread the cookie mixture about 1/2 cm thick.
- Bake for 15 mins on a 150 degree C oven. Once cool, use cookie cutters to cut the sides.
For the filling
- Cream the butter until almost white, add the sugar and milk. Then fold in half of the roughly chopped macadamias.
To assemble
- Sandwich the buttercream mixture in between two of the meringue biscuit sides. Roll the sides on the remaining toasted macadamia pieces to coat the sides. You can also crush some of the meringue biscuits and roll the edges on that too.
- Freeze in an airtight container until serving, best served frozen.

For more great Filipino recipes - visit the Kulinarya Cooking Club Group!

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

Here is a complete list of all members - drop them a line!