Baklava -- not for the tame-of-heart

A friend of mine who has been a missionary to the Middle East claimed his wife made the best baklava in existence . . . until he ate mine. He made me promise never to tell his wife that he said that . . . so, I didn't reveal his name but only enough information to let you know that this is a fabulous recipe. Take a look at the tips at the end of the recipe. These make the process a little easier. This isn't as hard as it looks, and, believe me, it's worth the effort!! It's only a little putsy!

Baklava

Pastry
1 pound fillo pastry sheets
1 ½ cups (melted) sweet butter
2 cups walnuts, pistachio nuts or hazelnuts, roughly chopped (you can really use any combination of nuts, depending on the flavor you would like. I use pecans sometimes, but you should have at least two kinds to get the contrasting flavors.)
½ cup chopped almonds
5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of ground clove

Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 slices orange and lemon rind
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves



Pastry: Place sheets of fillo pastry in 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan, brushing every other sheet evenly with butter. When ten or twelve sheets are in place, combine the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, and clove, and spread one third of this mixture over the top sheet. Place another five or six buttered sheets of fillo on top of the nut mixture, sprinkle them with another third of the nut mixture, and repeat with buttered fillo sheets on top, carefully buttering every other sheet.

Preheat oven to 350°.

With a sharp knife, cut the Baklava into diamond-shaped pieces. Heat the remaining butter (there should be about ½ cup) until it is very hot and beginning to brown. Pour it evenly over the Baklava. Sprinkle the top with a few drops of cold water and bake the Baklava for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 300° and continue to bake it for 1 hour longer.

Syrup: In a saucepan combine the water, sugar, honey, lemon juice, orange and lemon rind, a cinnamon stick and cloves. Bring it to the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees on a candy thermometer). Simmer it for twenty minutes. Strain (I just pick the pieces out with a spoon and don't actually strain it). When the Baklava is baked, pour cooled syrup over it.

Tip #1 -- The fillo pastry comes in sheets that are usually 13x18. Simply cut the entire stack in half to get 9x13. The left over dough can be used to make turnovers . . . or more baklava!

Tip #2 -- Fillo dough dries VERY quickly. As you are working with it keep a dampened dish towel over the stack while you work with the material in the pan. To dampen the dish towel just right, wet in and then wring it out as hard as you can. That's just the right amount of dampness.

Tip #3 -- Use unsalted butter. It does not burn easily as does the salted butter. You may use salted, but watch it carefully to prevent burning.

Tip #4 -- Simmering the syrup -- it's a really low simmer. Otherwise it scorches too easily.

Tip #5 -- cutting it into diamonds only makes it pretty. Cutting it into 1 1/2" squaares works just as well. The dough might shift a little on the top layers. That's ok. You will recut everything when the bakalva cools.