BAKLAVA
500g filo pastry (2 packets)
455g chopped nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios are good
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Some grated nutmeg
Some extra sugar to add to nuts
200g melted butter
Syrup ingredients
350g water
300g sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
180ml honey
This is a really good recipe. The original is from allrecipes.com but I have improved it in various ways.
Preheat oven to 325 F (160/140 Fan). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch baking tray.
Lightly roast nuts first - about 10 minutes at 160 degrees C. Chop finely in a food processor and
toss with cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of extra sugar. Set aside.
Make sauce while the nuts are roasting. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla,
lemon juice and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Cool and put into fridge, until needed for pouring.
Unroll filo pastry. Using your baking tray as a template, cut the filo pastry to fit the tray. To prevent the pastry from drying out as you work, cover the stack of filo with first, a freezer bag and then a dampened tea towel on top.
Place two sheets of pastry in tray, butter well all over with a pastry brush, but do not saturate.
Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. Finish with butter on top.
Using a sharp knife, cut into diamond or square shapes NEARLY all the way to the bottom of the tray.
Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
Remove baklava from oven and immediately pour syrup into all the slits. Let cool. Cut right through
when cool. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.
DECEMBER 2009