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Prep Time: 1440 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 1440 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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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. Ingredients:
1 cup sugar |
1 cup honey |
3/4 cup water |
1 tablespoon lemon juice |
lemon zest (1 inch wide strip) |
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon |
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:
1. 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.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F
3. 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.
4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low.
5. Use a pastry brush and brush a light coat of the melted butter to grease a 9 by 13 baking dish.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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!
9. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
10. 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.
11. 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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