Baklava
"I took Emeril's recipe for baklava and made a few changes to streamline it a bit. My co-workers absolutely love this stuff! While it's not terribly difficult to make, it is a labor of love because of the time it takes. I use a 50-50 mix of pistachios and walnuts because a local deli uses it in their recipe - it is so good! Don't be scared by the 1 day prep time - this is to reflect the baklava setting overnight."
- Ready In:
- 25hrs
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
36 pieces
- Serves:
- 36
ingredients
-
Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 3⁄4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- lemon zest (1 inch wide strip)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-
Filling
- 1⁄2 lb shelled pistachios
- 1⁄2 lb shelled walnuts
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 1 lb phyllo dough, thawed
directions
- Start off by making the syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine all of the syrup ingredients. Cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the syrup is slightly thickened. This takes about 10 minutes. Remove the lemon zest and set the pan aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F
- Prep the nut filling: Finely chop the nuts with either a sharp knife or food processor (take care not to over process). Stir in the ground cinnamon and salt.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low.
- Use a pastry brush and brush a light coat of the melted butter to grease a 9" by 13" baking dish.
- Unroll the phyllo sheets. If they are larger than the baking dish, take a sharp knife and trim them to fit. Cover with plastic wrap or a barely damp kitchen towel. If left uncovered, the phyllo will dry out.
- Lay one phyllo sheet in the baking dish. Lightly brush with melted butter. Continue alternating butter and phyllo until you have 7 sheets stacked. Take 3/4 cup of the nut mixture and spread over the top of the phyllo. Repeat layering and buttering 7 sheets of phyllo and 3/4 cup of nuts until all of the nuts have been used. Layer and butter any remaining phyllo sheets on top.
- Score the phyllo: Using your trusty sharp knife, cut 4 lengthwise lines about 1 1/2" apart. This will give you 5 rows. Then cut diagonally every 1 1/2". These cuts will form a diamond pattern. You should come out with close to 36 pieces of baklava this way. It is very important to score before you bake!
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Using a ladle or small measuring cup, drizzle the cooled syrup over the warm baklava. Allow the baklava to soak up the syrup for several hours -overnight is better - before serving. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Note: I've not made this since I read this trick, but Women's Weekly suggests using a clean small foam paint roller from the crafts dept. to butter your phyllo sheets. Next time, I'm going to try it to see if it speeds things up a bit.
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Reviews
-
Wonderful and so delicious!!! I was so nervous that I wouldn't be able to make this right! :) I was wrong! The directions are spot on and walk you thru the process comepletely! My baklava came out just beautifully! It truly is a labor of love, but is really worth the trouble! I also used 50-50 pistachio's and walnuts. Thank you Misa!! Made for KK's Christmas Cookie of The Day Event
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I've been hanging around here for awhile, so I guess filling this part out is overdue...:oops: (6/09)
I am a teacher, married to a pretty swell fella, and have a spoiled rotten princess, er, I mean, cat.
I'm pretty eclectic with my passions - obviously cooking and eating being high on the list! I love to read (from cookbooks to horror/suspense to fiction, fantasy, sci-fi to nonfiction...if it's still long enough, I'll read it). I make beaded jewelry, mostly bead weaving, some stringing. Enjoy listening to most sorts of music - and it's a darn shame I can't dance, sing, or have any sort of rhythm. Computer geek at heart - I'm frequently on the net or playing games in my spare time. I also like drawing and writing, but I don't have as much time to do as much as I used to. I have amassed quite the Good Eats DVD collection (thanks to my DH.... and he's sweet enough to make sure I've picked up the plungers and dino squirt bottle along the way :D). And to complete the quintessential nerd profile, yes, I do read comics.
I couldn't pick a single favorite cookbook, but golly, I looove fundraiser cookbooks. Talk about tried and true! I tend to collect all sorts of cookbooks, most of them southern cooking. Guess I cook what I know.
If you ever try any of my recipes - thank you! I hope they tickle your tastebuds!
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