Baklava
Baklava
This is a gorgeous dish I lifted from a cook book called “Abla’s Lebanese Kitchen” by Abla Amad. Make it and enjoy with a cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 1 x 375g packet filo pastry
- 250g unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups (260g) finely ground cashews
- 1/2 quantity Thick Sugar Syrup (hot) ** see bottom
- 1/4 cup (30g) coarsely ground pistachio nuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 220c.
Cut the filo pastry sheets to the size of your baking tin (good size is 25cm x 35cm).
Brush the baking tin liberally with melted butter.
Layer half the filo pastry sheets in the tin, brushing every second sheet with butter.
Spread the cashews evenly over the pastry.
Cover with the remaining filo, brushing every second sheet with butter.
Do not butter the top layer.
With a sharp knife, make parallel cuts on the diagonal about 3.5cm apart through to the base of the tin, then cut on the diagonal the other way to create diamond shapes.
Brush the remaining butter on top.
Bake for 10mins, then reduce the temperature to 180c and bake for another 35mins or until golden.
Remove from the oven.
Pour the hot syrup over the hot pastry.
Sprinkle with pistachio nuts and leave to cool.
Store in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
THICK SUGAR SYRUP
800g white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rosewater
2 1/2 cups water (625ml)
Bring the sugar, lemon juice and water to the boil over medium heat.
Cover and boil for 20mins until the sugar has completely dissolved and the syrup is thick.
Stir in the rosewater and remove from the heat.
Depending on the recipe, use while still hot or allow to cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
So sweet, so buttery, so delicious!
