Baklava

Layers of delicately crispy phyllo pastry and sweet nut filling, kissed with honey syrup that is perfectly sticky and sweet.A bite of baklava will take your taste buds on a journey through several layers of eternal bliss from the delicate crispy buttery crust followed by chewy nuts held in place by thick syrup and a final layer of moist pastry.

Read More...

Light, flaky layers of crust and a sweet nutty filling, kissed with honey syrup. It is a piece of ambrosia dropped straight from heaven to the plate! Baklava truly is the dessert of the gods.

Baklava, a rich sweet made with layers of paperthin dough smothered with butter alternated with chopped nuts drenched in fragrant infused sugar syrup and baked to perfection. All those layers and layers of delicate crusty pastry, perfectly sticky & sweet honey syrup with the nuts is a heavenly treat.

I absolutely love the Baklava experience; from making to eating! While baking, I love the sweet aroma of the butter, sugar and nuts, it is so inviting. The crackling sound when pouring the syrup over hot golden brown Baklava hints to me that the pastry is soaking in the syrup and I am almost there! When it is cooled and the syrup soaked in, I lift a piece to my mouth and pause to savor the fragrance. Finally, I pop it into my mouth and the baklava experience is complete as the flavor pervades the palate.

A bite of baklava will take your taste buds on a journey through several layers of eternal bliss from the delicate crispy buttery crust followed by chewy nuts held in place by thick syrup and a final layer of moist pastry.

Baklava

Makes - 10 Servings

Phyllo Dough	- 1 packet
Butter	- 1 - 2 sticks melted
Honey Syrup		Nut Filling
Sugar	- 2 cups	Pistachios	- 2 cups
Honey	- 1/3 cup	Almonds	- 1 cup
Water	- 1 cup	Sugar	- 6 tbsps
Cinnamon	- 1" stick
Rose water/orange peel /lemon juice	- 1 tbsp (optional)

Thaw phyllo dough to room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Honey Syrup

In a pan combine sugar, water, honey and cinnamon. Boil on medium heat, stirring till the sugar melts and the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and let it cool.

You can add rose water or orange peel or lemon juice to the honey syrup for fragrance infused syrup.

Nut Filling

Place nuts and sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse it till the nuts are coarsely chopped. Keep aside.

Baklava

Trim the phyllo dough sheets to the size of 9 X 13 baking pan.

Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with melted butter; lay down a sheet of phyllo and brush with melted butter. Repeat this step 9 more times for a total of 10 sheets of phyllo.

Spread 1/2 the nut filling evenly over the phyllo sheet.

Layer 8 more sheets of phyllo with butter in between them.

Spread remaining nut filling over the phyllo sheet.

Top with 8 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Brush the top sheet with butter.

Using a sharp knife, gently cut phyllo layers into 2" squares or diamonds.

Bake baklava for 35- 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately pour the honey syrup over the baklava.

Allow it to cool for few hours and soak up the syrup.

Cut a piece of Baklava and enjoy the heavenly sensation!