Baklava is a daunting item to make – all those buttery
layers to compose, getting the syrup just right, and not drowning your baklava
in said syrup so that you have to eat it like soup. I have seen enough batches
gone awry that I have stayed away from it for more than 30 years. But, given
that my local store had phyllo dough on sale last week, I decided it was time
to face my fears and whip out a batch.
I tried to make this once, back before I was even married.
In fact, I seem to remember that I made it at my godmother’s home in San Jose,
so that puts the date around 1979. It did not turn out well (aforementioned
soupy version). My sister-in-law attempted to make some years ago when we were
visiting the family in Colorado. While it actually looked very tasty, you could
not have cut that baklava with a chain saw. The syrup had hardened the baklava
to the point that we could not get the pieces out of the pan. We tried every
variation of knife, including an old electric knife, to no avail. It is one of
her few failures, and between the two experiences, I consider this a risky
dish. But it couldn’t have been
farther from the truth.
This time around I found baklava to be very
simple to make; I was done preparing the pan in about 10 minutes, and that
included grinding the nuts and melting the butter. Baking took another 40
minutes, during which time I made the syrup. No fancy ingredients, save the
phyllo dough, which most people do not keep on hand. And the best part of it
all was pouring the syrup over the baked baklava. Because you have a hot liquid
and a hot pan, when the syrup meets the baklava they do a happy dance, bubbling
and boiling. You can just envision that syrup making its way into every sheet
of dough, coating every nut. I tried to capture it in a photo, but really, you
need to witness this fascinating process.
So within an hour, you can have a gorgeous pan of sweet,
sticky, nutty goodness. The trick is the right recipe.
I found quite a variety of recipes available on the web and
in my cookbooks. The main variations were the nuts used, how fine to grind
them, how to layer the baklava, and the syrup ingredients. I, personally, feel
you can use most any kind of nut. Walnuts are the most traditional, but pecans,
almonds, or a mixture of nuts are totally acceptable. I happen to have several
pounds of beautiful shelled walnuts from my god-brother Scott, who grows them
up north in Gerber, California, so that is what I used.
The size or grind of the nuts really depends upon your own
preference. Some like them all ground fine, others chunky or chopped, and some
like a mixture of both. I took the middle road this time, using my food
processor to get the right consistency. The nuts were not too large, with some
ground pretty fine, meaning they should stay intact within each piece of
baklava once it is cut into pieces. (Larger pieces of nuts have a tendency to
fall out as you eat.)
As for the layering, that is also a personal preference. You
can use half your phyllo sheets then top with nuts, finishing with the
remaining sheets. Or you can make multiple layers of nuts. I believe that
multiple layers work well when the nuts are a slightly finer grind, so this is
the route I took.
And finally, the syrup, which varied widely among recipes.
Most used honey, but some only a sugar/water syrup. Some called for lemon,
others called for vanilla. Some used butter, others not. It was a hard call to
make, but I ended up choosing the recipe by Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman. She
has not failed me yet, although she had the less traditional syrup that
included butter.
It is her base recipe below, which I have adjusted slightly
and added comments to the steps to help you out. I hope you will give this
Middle Eastern delicacy a try. It’s a great recipe for a potluck or big event,
as baklava is very sweet and one is all you need.
Recipe after the jump
Baklava
1
package phyllo dough
4 cups walnuts,
chopped and/or ground
1
teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2
sticks butter, melted
Sauce:
2 cups honey
1/2 cup
water
1/2 cup
granulated sugar
1/2 cup
unsalted butter
3
teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Remove phyllo dough package from
freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. Remove from fridge 1 hour
before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly
butter a rectangular 13” x 9” baking pan. Toss your nuts with the cinnamon and
set aside. Open your phyllo dough and cut in half with a sharp knife to fit the
pan. NOTE: When working with the phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you
immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in its original plastic
wrap, then covered with a damp cloth.
Lay down one sheet of phyllo dough and
brush with melted butter. Top with two more sheets, butter, two more sheets,
butter, one more sheet. Make sure you are getting butter on all the edges. No
need to skimp here. Sprinkle one-third of your nut mixture over the dough. Top
with one sheet, butter, two sheets, butter. Sprinkle another third of the nuts
on top. Repeat. Once all the nuts are used, you will want to put on one sheet,
butter, two sheets, butter, two sheets, butter, two sheets. End with a last
slather of butter. Cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava using a very
sharp knife. Make sure you cut all the way through to the bottom.
Bake for 40- 45 minutes, or until the
baklava is very golden brown.
While the baklava is baking, combine
1/2 stick of butter, honey, water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a
boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to low. Keep an eye on this
so it does not boil over.
When you remove the baklava from the
oven, drizzle half the saucepan evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and
absorb for a minute, then drizzle on a little more until you think it's
thoroughly moistened. You will, most likely, have syrup remaining.
Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered,
for several hours.
Yield: 2 dozen +/- depending on size
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