Baklava Recipe

Origin: Greece      Period: Traditional

Baklava is the classic Greek filo (phyllo) pastry dessert or snack filled with a nut mixture and drenched in a honey-based syrup.

Ingredients:

280g walnuts, finely chopped
140g almonds, finely chopped
200g sugar
400g ghee (clarified butter)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp orange blossom water
1 packet filo (phyllo) pastry (about 450g)

For the Syrup:
300g sugar
375ml water
60ml honey
1 strip of pared lemon zest
1 small piece of cinnamon
3 cloves
3 tsp lemon juice

Baklava Preparation:

Method:

Combine the walnuts, almonds, sugar, 50ml of the ghee, ground cinnamon and orange blossom water in a bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, use some of the remaining ghee to grease a baking pan (about 30 x 22cm). Take a sheet of the filo pastry and place on the bottom of the baking dish then brush well with melted butter. Add the next sheet of pastry and brush with the ghee. Repeat the process until half the pastry has been used up. Turn the nut mixture on top of the pastry and spread evenly.

Now add the first sheet of the remaining pastry and brush the top with ghee. Again, repeat the layering process until all the pastry has been added.

Transfer any remaining ghee to a pan and heat gently to warm before pouring over the top of the pastry stack. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the pastry stack into 5cm squares or diamonds. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for 5 minutes before lowering the temperature to 150°C and bake for a further 40 minutes, or until the top and sides of the baklawa are a pale golden brown.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Combine the sugar, water and honey in a pan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, or until all the sugar has dissolved. Take off the heat then stir-in all the remaining ingredients. Return the pan to the heat and bring to a boil then allow to cool for 15 minutes. Strain to remove the spices then set aside to cool.

As soon as you remove the pastry from the oven spoon the syrup solution over the top then set aside to cool before cutting into serving portions.

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