Baklava

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the filling: Simply mix the nuts, sugar, spices in a bowl and set
aside.
Make the pastry part: Melt the butter or margarine over low heat in a
small saucepan and keep handy, with a pastry brush at hand.
**Personally, I prefer to just skip this whole process and spray the
sheets of dough with Pam instead. It works just as well. But if you
want to do it up right the first time, read on.
Remove the phyllo dough from its inner lining. Unfold it so it lies
flat and keep it covered with a moistened kitchen towel while you
work with the pastry. Dip your pastry brush in the butter/oil and
coat the bottom and sides of a 10 x 15 x 1" jelly roll pan (or a 9 x
13 x 2 cake pan in a pinch--the important thing is that it be deep
enough to accept all the sugar syrup you're going to pour into
it).Trim the sheets of phyllo so they fit the pan. (You'll probably
have enough for another dish, such as wrapped chicken or spana-
kopita (8-9).)
Layer one sheet of phyllo in the pan, brush it with butter/oil or
spray it, and cover it with another sheet. Repeat. After 5 sheets,
sprinkle some of the nut mixture onto the sheets, covering them
pretty completely. Repeat the above every 3 sheets of dough until you
have no more nuts left, then top with 5 more sheets of dough. (Tip
from personal experience: At least the first time, yes you gotta
butter each sheet of phyllo. The pastry is very dry without it.
That's why I like to use PAM instead) Don't forget to cover the
remaining dough each time you retrieve a sheet of it from the pile.
Score the pastry by cutting into diamond shapes with a sharp knife.
The book says to cut only partway through, but I always cut all the
way through. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. The pastry should be golden on
top.
While the baklava is in the oven, prepare the syrup: Combine the
sugar, water, citrus peel and 1/2 c honey in a medium saucepan.
Slowly heat the mixture over medium heat, swirling the pan, until the
sugar dissolves; then simmer, uncovered and undistrubed, until the
mixture reaches 212 on a candy thermo- meter (about 10 minutes).
Remove the syrup from the heat and now add the re- maining honey and
the lemon juice. Cool completely.
To complete the pastry, when it is done take it from the oven and
IMMEDIATELY pour the syrup over the top of the entire hot pan. If you
can stand it, let the baklava sit for at least 4 hours or overnight.
This recipe freezes; or you can store it at room temperature; or, you
can bring it to my house and not worry about storage. :)
*to make the Hawaiian baklava, I replaced the walnuts with macadamia
nuts, the lemon and orange peel with pineapple juice, and tossed in
some dried pineapple chunks and coconut into the nut mix. Spices
could be replaced by ginger, but I think that is gilding the lily.
To make choclava, the last layer of nuts before putting the "lid" on
the pastry can also contain a layer of chocolate chips. I like to put
the choco- late chips near the top rather than the bottom so as not
to scorch the chips. The Hawaiian baklava got a layer of white
chocolate chips.
Any commentary from those growing up in households where this recipe
was made routinely are most welcome. Perhaps some of you made it with
pistachios? I just remembered seeing that variation in some Greek
restaurants. (I wish I could be an honorary Greek-American; I don't
speak the language but I sure do love the food!)
Recipe by: BETH WOODELL <woodell@UMUC.UMD.EDU>
Posted to CHILE-HEADS DIGEST V3 #, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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