What do you do for Christmas baking? I have old traditions, which I'll post soon (I hope), but this is a new one for our family. I used to work for a doctor from Spain, who would bring us trays of this from a specialty bakery (Italian) and it was divine! I've been meaning to make it since, but it finally became a reality. My husband wants it on the "must have" list for every year. And that's fine with me! And before we start, does anyone know the difference between baklava and bellaclava?? We once heard a comedian make a joke about them, and have always swapped the words at will since.
Baklava
"This is simple and easy. Serve it in cupcake papers. It freezes well, too."
Ingredients
- 1 pound chopped mixed nuts (some almost ground, some coarser for texture) toasted preferably
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
- Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
- Bake in preheated oven 50 minutes, until golden and crisp. (I baked it 35 and it was done)
- While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon zest, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
- Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.
If I make it again, I think I'll increase the honey and decrease the sugar/water. I love the honey taste, and with this one, it's pretty mild. I used almonds and pecans, but I know pistachios are great, as well as adding hazelnuts! It's also healthy. Butter, honey and nuts are all healthy, aren't they?! ;)
Update Dec 2011: I used same amount of honey, but used half brown, half white sugar and the flavor was perfect. Might try some Roger's Golden Syrup next time, as I'm sure that would be dee-lish! Used almonds, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts
