Almond Sansrival

Sansrival, pronounced "sans-rEE-val", is a well-known Filipino snack and dessert. There are three main components to a sansrival; crisp meringue, buttercream and chopped nuts. The layers of crisp meringue are sandwiched and covered with buttercream then fully coated with nuts. Cashew nuts are traditionally used for sansrival, but now a days almond, macadamia and even pistachio has become popular choices.

Sansrival is definitely an irresistible treat for me. It entices my whole sensory system... The generous amount of nuts coated on the entire gâteau visually appeals to me. The smell wafting out the oven while baking the meringue and toasting the nuts stimulates my appetite. The crisp feel I get as my knife hits against the meringue, and the crunch I hear while slicing through it makes me all giddy. The explosion of nutty + buttery in my palate is absolutely delicious! And finally, the crunch of the meringue as well as the toasted nut leaves me in cloud 9.

I do love a good sansrival treat. I'm a huge fan of it, although I can't eat a lot. It's a bit sweet for my liking, but I still love the nutty and buttery flavour so I compromise by having small servings!

Bisou bisou,

Charlotte