Photo: Peter Whitfield Styling: leila saffarian
To make a batch of baklava, you will need:
- 150g shelled pecans
- 100g almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Half-a-teaspoon ground cloves
- 60g castor sugar
- 10 sheets of frozen phyllo pastry
- 200g butter
For the syrup
- 230g castor sugar
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 cup water
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
For the finishing touch
- Half-teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon very finely chopped blanched almonds
First, a brief motivational chat. This recipe takes long to prepare, but is not complex. Creating the final product gives a big boost to your kitchen skills and reputation as a host. You can make your own phyllo pastry.
This, however, is a real mission, well worth mastering later in your cooking career. At this stage, buy frozen phyllo and give it a couple of hours to thaw fully.
Chop the pecans and almonds with a heavy kitchen knife. Alternatively, use a food processor, but take care not to chop the nuts too finely.
Pour the chopped nuts into a mixing bowl and combine with the ground cloves, cinnamon and castor sugar, then stir. Melt the butter in a bowl while preheating the oven to 220°C.
Now for the phyllo pastry. These sheets are thin and dry out easily – prevent this by draping a clean, damp dishcloth or tea-towel over the pastry. Carefully select a sheet of pastry and lay it out on the work surface.
With the point of a paring knife, slice the pastry sheet into thirds.
Then, with a pastry brush, spread molten butter over the strips. Place three level teaspoons of the nut, sugar and spice mixture onto the phyllo strip and roll into a cylindrical shape.
Cut each nut-stuffed cylinder into three pieces at a slight diagonal.
Repeat this process until the nut, sugar and spice mixture is finished. Place the uncooked baklava onto a lightly buttered baking tray within the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let them cool on the counter.
With either a zesting tool or the small blade of a Swiss army knife, remove the zest from the lemon. Pour the cup of water and the 230g castor sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and stir continuously until the sugar has melted, without boiling.
Add the lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves and let them simmer for two minutes – do not stir. Remove and allow to cool.
Arrange the baked baklava in a shallow dish and cover with the syrup.
Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and chopped almonds and serve with freshly-made black coffee, ideally espresso.
Bask in the compliments.
