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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