Baklava
Wait, I haven’t told you I made baklava yet, have I? No? I did! I made baklava. And it wasn’t scary at all. Actually it was, sort of: the scary part was the sheer quantity of baklava I ate over the course of the morning. The honey and nuts powered me through the 5:30-9am on-air shift and then carried me through work until early afternoon. The baklava-coffee combo is a little like speed. I had to put what was left in the trunk of the car – out of reach – on my way home.
Good news: in terms of working with phyllo, this is as easy as it gets – no folding, no manipulating. You thaw the stuff, unroll it, and slide a couple sheets at a time over onto a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with butter now and then (no need to slather it) and sprinkle a few times with chopped walnuts (or pistachios, or almonds, or cashews), sugar, cinnamon and cardamom (which is totally optional – if you don’t use any you won’t wreck it), then bake. If it makes you feel any better, Mike brought the phyllo home at around 9pm, and I needed to make a batch quick in order to get to bed at an appropriate time for getting up at 4:30 and being coherent on air in the morning. So we tried to thaw it quickly by holding it, hugging it, sitting it on our laps and stroking it (yes, in its wrapper) like a lapdog. I still prematurely unrolled it and it cracked completely – shattered, really – through every layer of its middle. No matter – it still worked perfectly and you couldn’t even tell. With all its layers, phyllo is pretty forgiving. Kind of like Mother Teresa.
Now, I realize this appears to be seriously lacking in the nuts department. It wasn’t, really. It didn’t have the inch-thick of nearly ground nut paste in the middle – the fresh walnuts were chunkier and sparser but in quantities not at all inadequate. This photo is of the piece I managed to hang on to and smuggle out the door after the pan sat for the entire morning beside the studio at CBC – 48 pieces made a great many people very happy (and very sticky) – Donna said it was better than the baklava she had in downtown Athens, but I suspect she was just being nice. Although it was pretty fab, if I do say so.
And – seriously? EASY. And far more delicious than any piece of manufactured baklava that’s been sitting on a shelf for weeks. It makes an enormous batch that keeps and travels well, so you can feed fifty-ish without much effort. Even the syrup is simple – you bring the mixture to a boil, then pour it over the baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven. Snap.
Baklava
1 package phyllo sheets, thawed
4 cups walnuts or pistachios, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cardamom (optional)
1/2 cup butter, meltedSyrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
a thick strip of lemon peel (cut a slice off with a vegetable peeler, getting mostly the outer yellow part)Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, stir together the nuts, sugar and spices.
Make sure your phyllo is completely thawed, and keep it covered with a tea towel or piece of plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Place 2 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of a rimmed baking pan or jelly roll pan (about 12″x16″) and brush lightly with butter. Add three more stacks of two sheets (it’s easier to pull them off the pile two at a time), brushing with butter between each. Once you have 8 pieces of phyllo, spread a third of the nut mixture overtop.
Place 4 more sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts, brushing melted butter between each sheet or every two sheets. Repeat with another third of the nut mixture, another 4 sheets, and the rest of the nuts. Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo on top of the nuts; brush the top sheet with butter as well. Tuck in any sticking-out edges.
Cut the pastry lengthwise into four strips, then crosswise into six, making 24 pieces (they don’t have to be square), making sure not to slice through the bottom layer of phyllo. (This allows the syrup to soak in better.) Make diagonal cuts through each square, making them rectangles (you’ll end up with 48).
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. While the baklava bakes, combine the sugar, water, honey and lemon peel in a pan set over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and take out the lemon peel.
When the baklava comes out of the oven, immediately pour the hot syrup evenly overtop. Let the baklava stand at room temperature until completely cool. Slice through each piece completely before serving. Makes 48 pieces.
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March 25 2010 06:45 pm | cookies & squares and dessert
Elaine on 25 Mar 2010 at 8:56 pm #
Yeah, it’s slightly disconcerting how simple baklava is. And how simple an entire sheet of it can be demolished in a sitting if you’re not thinking about it.
the other Al on 25 Mar 2010 at 10:02 pm #
Did you save me some?
Laurie in Burnaby BC on 25 Mar 2010 at 10:45 pm #
Oh, that looks heavenly!!
Kristin on 25 Mar 2010 at 10:47 pm #
oh, yum! I really should make this…I love baklava! And yes, phyllo is very forgiving. I won’t admit how long I left some in my fridge, and it was still perfectly fine when I used it…blush!
margo on 26 Mar 2010 at 12:03 am #
I am definitely trying this; my daughter adores baklava, and I can so imagine this to be better than most you can buy. The only thing I’ve made with phyllo pastry was an amazing appetizer pizza, made in a similar fashion, only savory instead of sweet. It was fabulous, and yes, easy.
Jan (Family BItes) on 26 Mar 2010 at 6:09 am #
I’m so glad to know that it’s not too difficult – I’ve never made it before. My sister married a Greek man last year so I’m thinking I should show her this recipe – she’s always looking for something that could impress the LARGE family she married in to.
Top Five Fat-Burning Foods on 26 Mar 2010 at 6:29 am #
[...] Baklava | dinner with Julie [...]
Kathy on 26 Mar 2010 at 6:31 am #
Awesome Julie, looks divine. Hey was it you that was asking about how to force rhubarb? If you didn’t find out, I was reading a gardening mag. yesterday and it said to force rhubarb, put a bucket over it. It creates a microclimate of sorts for it.
Lana in South Mountain (ON) on 26 Mar 2010 at 7:15 am #
My sister loves baklava. Maybe I could do this for her birthday in April!
Jenious on 26 Mar 2010 at 8:47 am #
Though I love it so, I’ve strayed from making Baklava—always seemed too delicate a process. Your enthusiasm for the ease of this recipe, however, is catchy and convincing.
Dim on 26 Mar 2010 at 9:02 am #
That looks so good – the color is perfect too! I hate going to the grocery store and seeing their bright white/undercooked version of baklava. You nailed it!
Lindsay on 26 Mar 2010 at 9:55 am #
You have GOT to try it with a little rosewater / orange blossom water (whichever you prefer.) Takes the dish to new heights. I promise, people will RAVE!
Manon from Ontario on 26 Mar 2010 at 9:59 am #
Hmmm baklava ;p I had a Lebanese friend make some from scratch for our accounting class in college….all I remember is I ate too much of it, that’s how wonderful it was….
Thanks for sharing the recipe…I might just have to try this out after sugar shack time.
Love your blog!
Suzy on 26 Mar 2010 at 10:42 am #
Wow, that looks amazing! My husband loves baklava, so I will definitely need to try making it (especially now that I see how easy it is)!
Amy @ Dinner In Real Time on 26 Mar 2010 at 11:27 am #
The list of ingredients is shorter than what I expected for some reason, which makes it seem less daunting. I do LOVE baklava!
Jenny on 26 Mar 2010 at 1:27 pm #
Julie, this looks so good! I love baklava and would love to try this recipe out. How long will baklava last? Should it be stored in the fridge?? Yum – i’m making this today!!
Jaya on 26 Mar 2010 at 4:18 pm #
Beautiful! I can’t wait to try this. I just want to say, Julie, that I stumbled upon your blog a few years back while I was still living in Ottawa and I just loved it. Now I actually live in Calgary (right downtown…a stone’s throw from Ramsay) and even heard you doing the CBC traffic and (not to sound creepy) but I’m so moved by your humility, humour and your beautiful way with food. I am such a fan of your blog and I wish you the very best..that includes a life full of this gorgeous baklava!
akaJB on 26 Mar 2010 at 5:44 pm #
I made Baklava a while ago and was also surprised how easy it is. It’s also not a dish you want hanging around – a) it’s way to easy to eat a lot of and b) when you do, you feel sick to your stomach from all the sugar.
You may want to correct a little typo – “Make diagonal cuts through each square, making them rectangles” – diagonal cuts through a square will make triangles, not rectangles.
sheila on 27 Mar 2010 at 1:12 pm #
This looks delicious, Julie! Love those desserts! I am looking for a recipe for huckleberry pie that is not too runny. I have hoarded enough berries to make one for my husband’s bday, but am afraid to try it in case I blow the pie and it turns out as huckleberry soup. I never know how much thickening to put in as I also don’t want it to be a solid filling either. Any suggestions or a recipe?
Barb on 27 Mar 2010 at 1:19 pm #
No kidding? I might have to put this recipe in the back of my mind for future reference.
Brenda on 06 Apr 2010 at 1:21 pm #
I tried this baklava recipe over the weekend, and I used 4 cups of already chopped nuts (walnuts) and I’m wondering if I should have measured 4 cups of whole nuts and then chopped them because there seemed to be many more nuts than in the picture. Oops!
Soup for Spock | dinner with Julie on 28 Apr 2010 at 9:26 am #
[...] blowing a fuse with my panini grill, lunch went well. I made a big batch of brownies and a pan of baklava, and as they sat around the tables the stars commented on how they never get fed like this, and [...]
hellene on 27 Sep 2011 at 3:37 pm #
Just a comment on the hot syrup over the hot baklava part in the method…. it’s actually not correct (from a Greek baklava perspective). One or the other has to be hot – either hot baklava and cold syrup or cold baklava and hot syrup; otherwise you get a soggy sticky mess. Also, it helps to score your baklava before you put it in the oven when the phyllo is still uncooked. My mother scores it in diamond shapes and puts a whole clove in the centre of each diamond to keep it together. Finally, it helps to sprinkle a bit of cold water over top of the baklava before baking; it makes for flakier phyllo. Good luck!