BAKLAVA

Today, we're delving into a honey-soaked dessert that spans cultures and continents: baklava. A flaky, layered pastry of nuts, honey, and butter, I'm sorry I can't type anymore I'm actively drooling.

Recipe Credit: Food and Wine , Leite’s Culinaria

Ingredients

Syrup Ingredients:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar

  • 1 cup honey

  • 1 cup water

  • 1 lemon, sliced

  • 2 cinnamon sticks

Pistachio Baklava Ingredients:

  • 2 cups pistachio, de-shelled 

  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon

  • 3 Tbsp white sugar

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted

  • ½ lb phyllo dough

Hazelnuts Baklava Ingredients:

  • 450 g hazelnuts

  • 350 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

  • 1 ½ Tbsp ground cinnamon

  • ½ lb phyllo dough

Method

Syrup Method:

  1. Combine granulated sugar, honey, water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened and reduced, about 12 minutes.

  2. Once homogenous, kill the heat and add 1 sliced lemon and 2 cinnamon sticks.

  3. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use. (The syrup should be at room temperature and still pourable when ready to use; if cooled too much, reheat slightly.)

Pistachio Filling Method:

  1. Start by deshelling 2 cups worth of pistachios (or buy the de-shelled pistachios).

  2. In a food processor, mix together the pistachio, cinnamon, and sugar. Set aside.

Pistachio Assembly Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter.

  2. Place a layer of phyllo in the bottom of the dish, cover with another layer, and brush the top with butter. Add another layer (2 sheets), brushing the top with butter, and then another layer, brushing the top with butter until you have a stack 3 sheets high. Spread 1/3 of the filling evenly over the phyllo.

  3. Layer and butter another 3 sheets in the same way. Spread another 1/3 of the filling over it. Layer and butter another 3 sheets in the same way and spread with the final third of the filling, so that you wind up with 3 nut layers.

  4. Top the final nut layer with the remaining 6 filo sheets, buttering every other one as above. Finally, brush the top layer of filo with butter. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.

  5. With a sharp knife, cut through all the layers down to the bottom of the dish, making 16 to 18 diamonds or 1 1/2-inch square sections. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. 

  6. While still warm, pour the syrup in between the cuts and around the edges of the sections, taking care to avoid the top or else it will get soggy. Set aside at room temperature until completely cool.

  7. To serve, lift out the pieces as outlined. Serve right away or cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Hazelnut Baklava Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, until the skins are blistered; let cool.

  2. Transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel and rub off the skins, then transfer to a food processor along with the chocolate, 2/3 cup of the sugar, and the cinnamon to the food processor and pulse until the chocolate and nuts are finely chopped and the same size.

  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter.

  4. Place a layer of phyllo in the bottom of the dish, cover with another layer, and brush the top with butter. Add another layer (2 sheets), brushing the top with butter, and then another layer, brushing the top with butter until you have a stack 6 sheets high. Spread 1/3 of the filling evenly over the phyllo.

  5. Layer and butter another 6 sheets in the same way. Spread another 1/3 of the filling over it. Layer and butter another 6 sheets in the same way and spread with the final third of the filling, so that you wind up with 3 nut layers.

  6. Top the final nut layer with the remaining 6 filo sheets, buttering every other one as above. Finally, brush the top layer of filo with butter. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.

  7. With a sharp knife, cut through all the layers down to the bottom of the dish, making 16 to 18 diamonds or 1 1/2-inch square sections. Place in the oven and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes then drop the temperature to 300°F and bake for an additional 45 minutes.. 

  8. While still warm, pour the syrup in between the cuts and around the edges of the sections, taking care to avoid the top or else it will get soggy. Set aside at room temperature until completely cool (4 hours).

  9. To serve, lift out the pieces as outlined. Serve right away or cover and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

 
Emilija Saxebasics with babish, babish, baklava