Baklava - nuttin' to it, honey

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Dec 18th 2005 @ 10:32AM

I'm realizing that I have an obsession with phyllo dough. First I posted about tiny spinach and feta phyllo triangles (not real spanikopita, but close enough). Now I am going back to baklava, a dessert made with the same buttery crisp, flaky layer of phyllo filled with any variation of chopped nuts, chopped dried fruits, and honey or simple syrup. Of course, you can go savory with Holy Shiitake's breakfast Bakn'lava made with bacon and maple syrup.

Basic Baklava

Preheat oven to 325 and generously grease 13x9 pan.

Make filling by mixing 4 cups of coarsely chopped nuts (pistachios, walnuts, or a combination of both), 1/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

Melt 1 stick of butter.

Place 1 sheet of phyllo dough in buttered pan. Bush lightly with melted butter, then place another sheet of phyllo on it, and brush lightly with butter. Continue until there are 8 sheets of buttered phyllo in the bottom of the pan.

Spread half of the chopped nut mixture over the phyllo sheets.

Cover the nut mixture with another sheet of phyllo. Lightly brush with melted butter, and continue as above until there are 8 sheets of buttered phyllo covering the nut filling.

Spread the remaining half of the nut mixture over the second layer of buttered phyllo sheets.

Cover again with 8 sheets of buttered phyllo. The layers from the bottom up should be: 8 sheets of buttered phyllo, half of the nut filling, another 8 sheets of buttered phyllo, half of the nut filling, and the top 8 sheets of buttered phyllo.

Cut the baklava into diamond shapes, then bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300, and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

During that last 20 to 30 minutes, make the honey sugar syrup by combining in a medium saucepan 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup honey, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until syrupy.

Remove the baked baklava from the oven and pour the hot syrup slowly over the hot baklava. Let cool.

Makes: as many as you cut out of a 13x9 pan.

Filed Under: Vegetarian, Ingredients, Methods
Tags: baking, boiling, dessert, fruit, mediterranean, nuts, seeds