Baklava

Baklava is a dessert from Greece and, more widely, the Middle East.  Essential, it is layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts, heavily flavoured with cinnamon and held together with syrup or honey.  It can be excruciatingly sweet, but this version is less sweet than some.

Preparation Time: 30 Mins

Cooking Time: 1½ Hrs

Total Time: 4 Hrs

Ingredients

For 16 portions

½ tbs             Cloves      

270 gms          File pastry  

250 gms          Ghee  - melted        

50 gms            Semolina   

250 ml             Water       

For the filling

1½ tbs            Cinnamon  - ground  

75 gms            Sugar  - caster        

150 gms          Walnuts  - chopped  

For the syrup

150 gms          Honey  - runny        

1 tbs               Lemon juice            

150 gms          Sugar  - caster        

Method

Make the syrup…

Pour the water into a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.  Bring to a steady boil and then add the honey.  Simmer for 40 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Make the filling…

Blend the sugar, ground cinnamon and walnuts together in a food processor.  The nuts should be finely chopped but not reduced to a dust.

To make the Baklava…

Grease, with some melted ghee, a shallow oblong baking tray the size of, or slightly smaller than, the filo

sheets.  Lyer 6 sheets of filo pastry into the tin, brushing each layer with the ghee and a fine dusting of semolina.

Spread a thin layer of the filling mix over the top pastry sheet to cover and then add 3 more filo sheets, buttering and dusting as before.  Add a second layer of filling and top with the remaining pastry sheets.  Allow the pastry to rest in a cool place for 1 hour.  Then cut it into 16 equal triangle pieces and pierce each piece with a clove.

Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 minutes or until the filo is golden and crisp.

Pour the cold syrup over the hot pastry letting it flow evenly between the slices.  Leave it to soak up for 30 minutes before serving with a drizzle of any remaining syrup.

Wine recommendations

Conventional

     Monbazillac

Interesting

     Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise

Adventurous

     Moscatel Sherry