Baklava
Sweet, flaky baklava with a mix of walnuts and pistachios. Is it Greek? Is it Turkish? Whatever its origins, it's delicious.
Ingredients
Baklava
- 16 ounce phyllo dough
- 1 pound mix of walnuts and pistachios, chopped
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8` tsp cardamom
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter bottom and sides of 9x13" pan. Set aside.
- Chop nuts and combine with cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Unroll phyllo dough and cover with a damp cloth to prevent drying. Keep it covered while working. ( It dries out very quicky!)
- Place two sheets of dough in the pan and brush thoroughly with melted butter. Place eight sheets on top of this and brush with butter. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture. Place sheets of dough on top of nuts and brush with butter. Repeat until the top layer is only phyllo.
- Cut dough into diamond shapes with diagonal cuts--minimum 40 pieces up to about 55 pieces.
- Bake for 50 minutes, until golden.
- While baking, make the syrup by combining sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook until boiling. Add honey and vanilla and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon hot syrup over the top. Let cool completely.
- Let baklava sit uncovered until served. Best eaten the same day as baked or frozen for future use.