This recipe is quite easy but looks very impressive. A sure family favorite and a Grecian and Middle Eastern classic.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound of assorted nuts of your choice: pistachios, walnuts, almonds, etc…
- 1 cup of butter
- Honey
- Water
- Lemon juice and/or zest
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 1 package of phyllo dough
- Vanilla extract
STEPS
- Preheat oven to 175 °C.
- The phyllo dough is normally frozen. Before you start, take the package out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator for 7-8 hours. Then, allow the dough to come to room temperature by leaving it out on your countertop for 2 hours before starting.
- Chop your nuts into small pieces, no large chunks, but not powdery or finely ground either. A food processor could also be used, but carefully as the processor can make the nuts into a fine powder.
- Put the nuts into a bowl. Add the cinnamon and toss.
- Melt your butter.
- Take a rectangular pan and butter it thoroughly. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut it in half, and then take one half and cut it to make it fit the pan.
- Cover the remaining dough with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
- Put the dough that you’ve cut for the pan on a plate, and cover it with another damp towel. It’s very important to keep the dough you’re not using as you work.
- Place your first sheet in the pan. Butter the top thoroughly. Add another sheet. Butter the top thoroughly. Repeat until you have 10 layers of buttered sheets. Then, add a thin layer of the nuts. Then, place 5 sheets of buttered phyllo dough. After, add a layer of nuts. Keep repeating: 5 sheets with butter, nuts, 5 more sheets. For the top layer: just add 10 buttered sheets, no nuts.
- Using knife, slice vertically down. Then, slice again in a slanted fashion sideways as to get diamond shapes. Cut all the way down.
- Put in the oven for 50 minutes until golden.
- While it bakes, make the sauce. In saucepan, gently warm on low heat your water (as much as you think it needs), honey, vanilla extract, and lemon juice/extract.
- The sauce shouldn’t be too thick and syrupy, but should have a slightly thicker feel than water.
- When the baklava are ready, take it out and spoon the sauce over the diamonds. Allow it to cool.
- Leave it uncovered for a few hours, and later cover with a towel.
Posted by: Kate / Sales / Tampa, FL, USA