Baklava

It's a sweet pastry dish that comes all the way from the Middle East. Baklava is sure to satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.

Saturday, August 29th 2009, 5:54 pm

By: News 9

FILLING INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) package phyllo dough
2 cups chopped pistachio nuts and/or pecans
1 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon cardamon
½ cup sugar
SYRUP INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of honey
1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rose water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan
2. Chop nuts and toss with cardamom. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of filling nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6-8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife, cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 50 minutes until Baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make syrup while Baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add rose water, lemon juice and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes then let cool.
5. Remove Baklava from oven and immediately drizzle syrup over it. Finish by sprinkling with crushed pistachio.
Let cool before serving in cupcake papers. It gets soggy if it is wrapped up so leave it uncovered.