Baklava (metaxas)

30 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
¾ cup Finely chopped walnuts
¾ cup Finely chopped pistachios
½ cup Chopped blanched almonds (lightly toasted)
½ cup Superfine sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1¼ pounds Sweet butter; melted
1 pack Commercial phyllo sheets
2½ cup Sugar
1¾ cup Water
1 Orange's rind; finely grated
1 Lemon's rind; finely grated
5 Whole cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
1 cup Honey

Directions

BAKLAVA

SYRUP

Combine nuts, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan well with butter. Separate 25 phyllo sheets from package.

Place under a smooth, damp towel to prevent drying. Wrap remaining filo well. Freeze for future use. Place one phyllo sheet in pan.

Trim to fit. Brush generously with melted butter. Repeat procedure until there are 5 layers of buttered phyllo in the pan. Sprinkle with ¼ nut mixture. Repeat this procedure two more times, ending with phyllo. Drizzle any remaining butter over top. Bake in 350 degree oven 1-½ hours or until golden brown. Remove baklava from oven.

Using a sharp knife, immediately cut long, diagonal lines from corner to corner, forming an "X". Follow these guidelines to cut baklava into serving-size diamonds. While still hot, pour cooled syrup over baklava.

Syrup: Combine sugar, water, orange and lemon rinds, cloves and cinnamon stick in saucepan. Bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes to thicken syrup slightly. Remove from heat. Discard spices. Stir in honey. Cool at room temperature. Pour over hot baklava. Allow to stand overnight before serving.

From: "Classic Greek Cooking" by Daphne Metaxas. ISBN: 0-911954-31-7 Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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