Passport & Plate - Baklava
Cyprus | Wednesday, March 4, 2015 | 4 photos
Ingredients
My recipe & what you need to make it:
10 x 6 inch rectangular baking tin (non stick)
18 sheets of filo pastry
150g chopped walnuts
150g chopped almonds
50g sunflower seeds
3 tsp cinammon
Tbsp caster sugar
200g salted butter, melted
For the syrup:
150g caster sugar
300ml water
Squeeze of lemon juice
8 tbsp runny honey (the good stuff!)
How to prepare this recipePre-heat your oven to gas mark 5 or equivalent.
Mix the chopped nuts & seeds with 2 tsp cinnamon & 1 tbsp of caster sugar and leave to one side. To stop your pastry drying out while you work, cover it with a damp cloth.
Start your amazing baklava by placing 2 sheets of filo in the base of your tin, and brush liberally with melted butter. Repeat this two more times so you have 6 sheets in total, and then scatter over half of your nutty cinnamon mix. Dribble over a little more butter (this isn't necessary but I think it helps!)
Repeat this whole process one more time, then finish by layering the last 6 sheets of filo (make sure to butter after every two sheets!) sprinkle the top layer of pastry with the last tsp of cinnamon. Using a sharp knife, cut into triangles or diamonds before baking in the oven for approx 50 mins.
Whilst the baklava is cooking, place the water & caster sugar in a pan and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice & honey and gently boil for about 20 mins. Set aside to cool slightly.
Once the pastry is cooked (it should be crispy on top and a nice light golden colour), take from the oven and smother with the syrup - If you pour it slowly the whole lot will fit in the tin without drowning the baklava!
Now you need to let it cool... Seriously, it has to cool down to be any good! And only once it has cooled down can you enjoy this treat!
The story behind this recipeI have always had a love affair with Mediterranean food, and during a holiday to Cyprus was lucky enough to taste the most mouth-wateringly sticky baklava I have ever known. I fell in love with Cyprus and Baklava during my first meal, which was at a little restaurant in one of the local's back gardens... those meaty Kalamata olives, the salty fresh feta cheese, that creamy aubergine dip and the wonderful and warming lamb Moussaka were all just teasers in the lead up to dessert.
Until this point, the only Baklava I had tasted was pre-packaged and sold in delis or corner shops, never quite living up to its potential. Once I had the taste for the real stuff I was hooked, and determined to find a way to make it at home. The recipe I use now is an adaption of two or three others which I have tried and tested a number of times. Work colleagues, friends and family members have been my guinea pigs while perfecting this recipe, and when I served it for dessert at a charity supper club I had requests to make more the following week! I even wrote a blog about the recipe http://glipho.com/se23-foodie/easy-peasy-baklava :-)
For me, food tells a story. When I eat this Baklava it takes me back to those long evenings in Cyprus; tasting the local food and wine, walking along the harbour while the sun was setting, exploring the Troodos mountains and meeting some fantastic locals.
