Baklava

Name: Baklava
Prep time: 1 h 28 min
Cook time: 1 h 28 min
Total time: 1 h 28 min
Yield: 25
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 227 grams blanched almonds, toasted; 158 milliliters brown sugar; 1 cinnamon stick; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoons ground cloves; 1 lemon, juiced; 118 milliliters orange blossom honey; 2 large strips orange peel; 1 pound sheet pound phyllo pastry sheets; 227 grams shelled pistachios, toasted; 473 milliliters sugar; 454 grams unsalted butter, melted; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 454 grams shelled walnuts, toasted; 473 milliliters water

Baklava might be just the dessert you are searching for. This recipe makes 25 servings with 439 calories, 7g of protein, and 35g of fat each. This recipe covers 10% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. It is a good option if you're following a vegetarian diet. If you have orange blossom honey, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes roughly 1 hour and 28 minutes. This recipe is typical of middl eastern cuisine.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Finely chop the nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder.

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Coffee

Nuts

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Food Processor

Transfer nuts to a bowl and mix in brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and cloves.

Ingredients you will need

Ground Cinnamon

Brown Sugar

Clove

Nuts

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Bowl

Brush a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with melted butter and set aside.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

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Baking Pan

Cut a piece of cardboard into a 13 by 9-inch rectangle. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay the sheets flat on a work surface. Set the cardboard template on the stack of phyllo and trim the excess so they fit the pan. Keep the pastry covered with a damp, not wet, towel as you work to prevent drying out.

Ingredients you will need

Filo Pastry

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

To build the baklava, you will alternate 3 layers of dough with 2 layers of nuts. Start with a stable base of 8 sheets on the bottom, brushing each with melted butter.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Dough

Base

Nuts

Spread 1/2 the nut mixture evenly over the stacked sheets. Cover with 4 sheets of phyllo, painting each with melted butter, then sprinkle again with remaining nut mixture. Top the last layer of nuts with 8 layers of phyllo as you did for the bottom.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Spread

Nuts

Drizzle any remaining butter over top.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

If you have time, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so the butter will set and make the baklava easier to cut. Using a sharp knife, make 5 cuts across lengthwise, then cut diagonally to form diamonds. Baklava is more difficult to cut after it is cooked because the pastry becomes so flaky.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

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Knife

Bake for about 40 minutes until golden and flaky. If the top browns too quickly during baking, tent with foil.

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Oven

Aluminum Foil

To make the syrup: combine the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.

Ingredients you will need

Syrup

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Sauce Pan

Remove the orange peel, cinnamon stick, and whole clove; set aside to cool.

Ingredients you will need

Cinnamon Stick

Orange Zest

Whole Clove

Remove an end piece of the baklava and tilt the pan to allow the butter to collect in the corner. Spoon out the excess and discard. With the pan flat, pour the syrup evenly over the hot baklava. Allow to stand for several hours before serving.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Syrup

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan