Baklava

Popular in Greece and Turkey, this sweet dessert consists of many layers of butter-drenched phyllo pastry, spices and chopped nuts. A spiced honey-lemon syrup is poured over the warm pastry after it’s baked and allowed to soak into the layers. Before serving, the dessert is cut into triangles and sometimes sprinkled with coarsely ground nuts.

No, I haven’t made this yet, but I plan to!

Ingredients

1 pound Phyllo Pastry Dough
3/4 pound sweet butter (unsalted); melted
2 1/2 to 3 cups walnuts and/or almonds; finely chopped or ground
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Syrup Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
Juice from 1 lemon slice
1/2 cup honey

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon juice over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add honey and return to boiling. Remove immediately from heat and set aside. Skim any foam off the top of the syrup if form during heating.

In a small mixing bowl, combine nuts with sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Butter a 9×13-inch ovenproof baking dish. Place in a sheet of phyllo on bottom of ban and brush with melted butter. Either fold over or trim any excess phyllo.

Repeat process for another 8 sheets, buttering each. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of nut mixture evenly over the phyllo and cover with 2 more sheets, buttering each. Continue sprinkling nuts every 2 sheet-layer until all but 8 sheets are used between 4 nut-filling layers.

Use remaining 8 sheets for the top layers, buttering each sheet of phyllo. Before buttering the last sheet, tuck in all loose edges or trim neatly, and press down the layers with palms of your hands. Pour remaining butter over top. Cut into 5 strips lengthwise, about 1/2-inch deep.

Bake at 350º for about 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately pour cooled syrup over Baklava. Allow to cool thoroughly. Cut strips diagonally to form diamond shapes and serve.

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