Baklava, A timeless beauty
Excerpt from the book “Take the Taste of Greece with you” by Litsa Bolontzakis
A recipe with a rich past that only gets better with time…One of my favorite desserts, it can be enjoyed in many different ways, with chocolate, or different nuts like pistachios, with ice-cream or not…
Easy to make and it can last with no refrigeration for a few days.
I mean how can you go wrong with Phyllo, nuts, and honey…It’s a marriage made in heaven, and that is why it has staying power…
Ok, I agree that Phyllo is very capricious, but you take the control and you be the boss, make sure you have all your ingredients ready and waiting, and work fast because Phyllo likes to dry up and when that happens it crumbles and you can’t work with it…
Have fun making Baklava, it’s everyone’s favorite dessert…
Baklava
- Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts, finely ground
- 1 cup almonds, finely ground
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup melted unsalted butter, best if it’s clarified
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves, ground
- 12 Phyllo pastry sheets
Here is how
Combine nuts with sugar, cinnamon, and cloves.
Butter an oblong fireproof container well.
Alternate placing 2 buttered Phyllo sheets with nut mixture (starting and ending with Phyllo).
Score with a knife in serving size pieces. Pour remaining butter over and sprinkle with a little water.
Bake in moderate heat for 45 minutes or until golden. Turn heat off and let Baklava dry in the heat of the oven.
Syrup:
- Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 1 slice lemon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
Boil sugar, water, lemon slice, cinnamon, and cloves for 5-6 minutes. Add honey and continue boiling a few more minutes, removing any froth that accumulates on the side of the pan. Let cool a little and pour syrup over cool Baklava. Give it time to absorb the syrup and cool completely, ready to serve…
Litsa’s Tip:
Chocolate syrup compliments Baklava.
If you are a chocolate lover, add chocolate chips to the nut mixture for another delicious dimension!
Here is another great recipe with Phyllo!
Almond and Sesame pita! Delicious
