Baklava. Take 2. This was the second Baklava I made in a week. I was just determined to make it kid-friendly. So I tried sticking closer to the daring bakers challenge recipe, while letting my kid brother-in-law help me pick out the ingredients.
Here's what you need:
Baklava
18 homemade phyllo pastry sheets (or 27 store bought sheets)
1 cup butter
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 Tbs ground allspice
1/2 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
Syrup
1 1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cloves
11"X7" baking dish (can use a 9"X9" and have a thicker pastry)
pastry brush
large saucepan
Preheat oven to 390 degrees F.
Combine all of the chopped nuts, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar in a bowl.
Butter a 11"X7" baking dish. Place a phyllo pastry sheet in the bottom. Evenly spread butter across the sheet with a pastry brush. You don't need a lot, just enough to cover it. Repeat this for a total of 5 sheets, ending with butter.
Spread 1/4 cup of the nut mixture across the surface of the pastry sheets.
Layer 4 more pastry sheets, buttered between each layer. Spread another 1/4 cup of nuts over the pastry sheets. Repeat 2 more times, with 5 sheets on the top layer.
To clarify: Layer 5 pastry sheets, 1/2 cup nuts, 4 pastry sheets, 1/2 cup nuts, 4 pastry sheets, remaining nuts, 5 pastry sheets, butter.
Cut the pastry into squares. You can cut them again into triangles, if you would like.
Bake at 390 degrees F for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 300 F. Cook another 30 minutes. Lower heat again to 210 F for an additional 30 minutes. Turn the heat back up to 390 at the end to brown the top as you desire.
While the baklava is baking, make the syrup. Over medium heat in a LARGE saucepan (I used a medium saucepan - it boiled over all across my stove I had JUST CLEANED!!!) combine honey, water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Get the baklava out of the oven. Pour the cooled syrup evenly across the top of the hot baklava. You should hear a nice sizzling sound. It really does look like a lot of syrup, but it will all be absorbed, making the baklava nice, moist and chewy.
Let the baklava sit for at least a couple hours. It is best served the next day. Enjoy!
Here's what you need:
Baklava
18 homemade phyllo pastry sheets (or 27 store bought sheets)
1 cup butter
3 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 Tbs ground allspice
1/2 Tbs cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 cup brown sugar
Syrup
1 1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cloves
11"X7" baking dish (can use a 9"X9" and have a thicker pastry)
pastry brush
large saucepan
Preheat oven to 390 degrees F.
Combine all of the chopped nuts, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar in a bowl.
Butter a 11"X7" baking dish. Place a phyllo pastry sheet in the bottom. Evenly spread butter across the sheet with a pastry brush. You don't need a lot, just enough to cover it. Repeat this for a total of 5 sheets, ending with butter.
Spread 1/4 cup of the nut mixture across the surface of the pastry sheets.
Layer 4 more pastry sheets, buttered between each layer. Spread another 1/4 cup of nuts over the pastry sheets. Repeat 2 more times, with 5 sheets on the top layer.
To clarify: Layer 5 pastry sheets, 1/2 cup nuts, 4 pastry sheets, 1/2 cup nuts, 4 pastry sheets, remaining nuts, 5 pastry sheets, butter.
Cut the pastry into squares. You can cut them again into triangles, if you would like.
Bake at 390 degrees F for 30 minutes. Lower heat to 300 F. Cook another 30 minutes. Lower heat again to 210 F for an additional 30 minutes. Turn the heat back up to 390 at the end to brown the top as you desire.
While the baklava is baking, make the syrup. Over medium heat in a LARGE saucepan (I used a medium saucepan - it boiled over all across my stove I had JUST CLEANED!!!) combine honey, water, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Get the baklava out of the oven. Pour the cooled syrup evenly across the top of the hot baklava. You should hear a nice sizzling sound. It really does look like a lot of syrup, but it will all be absorbed, making the baklava nice, moist and chewy.
Let the baklava sit for at least a couple hours. It is best served the next day. Enjoy!
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