Baklava

I love baklava and although it is pretty easy to make, people are often impressed by the effort. Layers of buttered sheets of phyllo dough are interspersed with nuts and cinnamon (or add chocolate if you like!) and then drenched in a honey vanilla syrup. One tip right up front to save yourself time and aggravation is that you need a very sharp knife to cut through the layers of phyllo dough, which can be found in the freezer section of most stores and needs to thaw in the refrigerator the night before you plan to bake. I make my baklava with pecans but you could use walnuts if you prefer.

This is a great dessert to make the same day you plan to eat it or the day before because it will last nicely for several days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. (The top layers lose their crispness and become a bit soggy after a couple of days but taste is unaffected.) I hope you'll try this recipe and love it as much as I do!


Ingredients:

2 cups pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 (16 oz.) package phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch pan and set aside. Toss the nuts and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. Cut the phyllo dough stack in half to fit the pan. Working quickly so that the phyllo dough does not dry out, place 4 sheets of dough in the pan and butter thoroughly. Repeat. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on the top layer. Cover with 2 more sheets of dough, butter, then add another layer of nut mixture. Repeat until you run out of nut mixture. Using the remainder of the dough, layer 2 sheets at a time with butter until you run out of phyllo dough and butter. Using your sharpest knife, cut the baklava into squares, rectangles, triangles, or diamonds and bake for 50 minutes. During the last 25-30 minutes of baking, make the syrup. In a small saucepan, stir together the water and sugar until the mixture comes to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from the heat and add the vanilla and honey. Turn the heat down to low, return the pan to the burner, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup all over the top. Cool before serving.


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