BAKLAVA

Home » Food and Drink » Desserts Join Sign in EzineArticles - Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Original Articles Search Diana Rogers Platinum Quality Author Platinum Author | 92 Articles Joined: April 16, 2008 United States Nick the Greek's Baklava By Diana Rogers | Submitted On October 13, 2013 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Expert Author Diana Rogers A very popular phyllo pastry that is served for dessert is known as Baklava, pronounced bahk-lah-VAH. This delightful pastry dessert is made in all countries of the Near East, and so it seems that each one claims it for its own. In fact I would even say that each Greek family has their very own variation of the recipe, especially from village to village. Although Baklava is a dessert, Greeks refer to it as "sweets" and generally they would not eat Baklava after a meal as perhaps other western countries would. I remember many times seeing my mother serve Greek coffee and Baklava as a mid- day snack, especially when a visitor arrived. Now the history of Baklava is not well documented but it can be traced back to the 12th century. This sweet dessert was popular in Syria and Lebanon. When my father was in Turkey, he learned that the Turks adopted the nuts and honey mixture by combining ground sesame seeds to make a type of halva because phyllo dough was not available then. Perhaps you are one of many that recognizes this fabulous pastry by its layers of nuts and many sheets of filo, of which you will need twenty to forty of them to make this type of pastry. This unique dessert is usually bathed in syrup, flavored with rose and brandy. Here's my dad's special recipe: Ingredients 1 pound of phyllo pastry Filling 3 cups chopped walnuts (or more). You can use pecans, almonds, pistachios or any combination but I prefer walnuts. 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 pound melted sweet butter or salted butter Whole Cloves Syrup Topping 3 cups sugar 2 cups water 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar juice of 1 lemon 1/4 cup honey or 2 teaspoons rose or brandy flavoring. I just use honey. Some add 1 large cinnamon stick. I don't because I prefer to put whole cloves in between the cut diamond squares that will be removed later. Defrost frozen filo to room temperature. Tip #1 Keep it covered with a damp-cloth as it dries out quickly. Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter and keep it in the pan to reheat if it cools and doesn't flow easily while you are working with the filo. Use pastry brush to oil generously the bottom and sides of a large rectangular baking pan (approximately 13 in x 9 in). Place 5-6 sheets of filo in the pan and sprinkle lightly with warm butter. Place another sheet of filo on top of the first sheet, and brush each layer lightly with melted butter. Fold in excess length of each sheet at alternative ends. Some use a scissors and cut away the excess filo dough but I don't because it isn't an exact science and you can't do anything wrong at this point. Tip #2 Instead of a pastry brush, my father uses a squirt bottle to spray the layers with. Continue until you have spread 6 or more sheets. Spread half of the filing, including the corners. Cover with 6 or more sheets of filo remaining sheets, oiling between each one. Roll edges and tuck with remaining butter. Before baking, cut through the top layers only, into the traditional diamond shapes. Use a small sharp knife with a ruler to guide you if you want. We do this in order to facilitate serving once it has been cooked. To Make Diamond-Shaped Pieces Make vertical cuts, 1 inch apart. Turn pan horizontally and make cuts at an angle, 1 inch apart. Stick a whole clove in the center of each diamond. Besides adding flavor, it keeps the layers together. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check it during the last 20 minutes to see if it is browning evenly. Begin boiling the syrup except for the honey for 10 minutes before taking the baklava immediately out of the oven. Add honey and simmer for another 5 minutes until slightly thickened. You never really want to boil honey because it changes the flavor immensely. Pour hot syrup over hot baklava immediately after removing it from the oven. Use ladle or large spoon to distribute syrup evenly over all of it. Set aside to cool, at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. Keep in pan overnight or at least 4 hours before cutting and serving. Hope you enjoy making Baklava or sampling this sweet dessert at health stores and church bazaars. Enjoy! Greek Baklava: Sinfully Delicious Some Greek Markets sell 12 pieces of Baklava for $14.95 For more Greek recipes, visit my blog, http://barefootbooks-ladyd.blogspot.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Diana_Rogers/198180 0 Comments | Leave a Comment Did you find this article helpful? Happy Face0 Sad Face0 Viewed 90 times Word count: 755 Article Tools Download a PDF EzinePublisher Report this article Cite this article Stay Informed Subscribe to New Article Alerts: Food and Drink: Desserts Diana Rogers Email Address Subscribe We will never sell or rent your email address. Desserts Article Feed Desserts Article Feed Find More Articles Search Recent Articles 3 Important Reasons to Choose Online Cake Delivery Bakers Blue Label Marie Biscuits Are the Best What's The Scoop on NICE Cream? 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