- 10
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted
- 1-1/3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
- 6 egg whites
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 225°F. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet (if you don’t have a sheet that large, line 2 smaller sheets) with parchment paper. Draw three 10-by-3-inch rectangles at least 3 inches apart on one side of the parchment paper, then turn the parchment over and liberally coat the other side of the paper with nonstick cooking spray or butter.
In a food processor, pulse the 1/2 cup pecans until ground to a fine powder. (Stop grinding once they are powdery; if you continue, they will become a paste.) Transfer to a medium bowl. Repeat with the 1/2 cup almonds, and add the ground almonds to the pecans. Sift the confectioners’ sugar into the bowl holding the ground nuts. Add the salt and stir with a rubber spatula until all of the ingredients are well mixed.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment (or a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they hold soft peaks. (This will take 6 to 7 minutes with a handheld mixer.) The whites will start to froth and turn into bubbles, and eventually the yellowy viscous part will disappear. Keep whipping until you can see the tines of your whip leaving a slight trail in the whites. To test for the soft-peak stage, stop the mixer and lift the whip out of the whites; the whites should peak and then droop.
On medium speed, add the granulated sugar in three equal additions, mixing for 30 seconds after each addition. When all of the granulated sugar has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat for about 15 seconds longer. The meringue should be slightly glossy and white and somewhat stiff. Scrape the meringue into a large bowl.
Sprinkle the nut-sugar mixture on top of the meringue. Working quickly and gently, use a rubber spatula to fold the nuts into the meringue, scraping the sides of the bowl to catch any loose nuts. The final consistency will be soupy, gloupy, and puddingy.
Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round plain tip and fill the bag with the meringue. Following the guidelines you drew on the underside of the parchment paper, pipe 3 rectangles of meringue, “fill in” the rectangles to form your individual layers. Space the rectangles about 3 inches apart (they will expand in the oven).
Bake for about 3 hours, or until the dacquoise rectangles are firm to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave the rectangles in the closed oven for at least 6 hours or for up to 12 hours.