Baklava

Still sick. Luckily I don't have court or clients this week (yet) so I am spending my day on my couch watching Married to Rock. And planning my baking. Tonight I will be making Baklava. This is my dad's absolute favorite dessert. He goes nuts for it, and asks me to make it for him every Christmas. Its my family's traditional recipe, that I have changed very slightly since I started making it. So.....voila!

Filling:

• 1 pound nuts, chopped (I usually use walnuts, but this version I make tonight will be with pistachios)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons rose water (It's easy to find this in any middle-eastern grocery store, and some major grocery chains sell it as well

Syrup

• 1 cups of sugar
• 1 cups of water
• 1 cup of honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 pound phyllo dough (If this is frozen, you will need a few hours for it to thaw)
• 1 cup of melted butter (it's not a health food)

To make filling, chop nuts (or just buy the pre-chopped nuts, also works great) and combine with remaining filling ingredients. Toss together. 

Melt butter. Brush bottom of a 9x13 pan with butter and begin layering with phyllo dough. Phyllo dough should be soft enough to work with, but be sure to keep it moist and prevent it from drying out. I do this by keeping a dampened kitchen towel over it. You basically layer the phyllo dough to fit the bottom of your pan. After each layer, brush the phyllo with the melted butter. Bottom layer should be about 8-10 sheets. Sprinkle a little less than half of the nut mixture over the phyllo. Continue with the phyllo layering, using 4-5 sheets. Sprinkle the remaining nut mixture over the phyllo, reserving about a half a cup for the top. Layer with another 8-10 sheets of phyllo. On the top layer of phyllo, brush with melted butter, then evenly sprinkle the remaining nut mixture for topping.

Using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamonds or squares. Cut diamonds by cutting four long rows and then cutting into those four long rows making diagonal cuts. Be sure to cut all the way through the baklava to the pan. Place baklava in 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes.

While baklava is baking, make the syrup. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and boil until sugar is dissolved. Add honey and lemon juice. Simmer until sauce begins to thicken, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. At this point you can also add a little rose water to add more flavor.

Baklava is done when you see the pastry flaking and is golden. Remove baklava from oven and pour about 3/4 of the mixture over the baklava. Allow to cool for about half an hour. Pour remaining syrup over baklava. Done!

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