Name: Layered Filo Pastry (Baklava)
Yield: Makes about 36 pieces
Ingredients: 1 pound blanched almonds, walnuts, or half almonds and half walnuts (about 4 cups), coarsely chopped; ½ pound unsalted butter, melted and clarified, or margarine, melted; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; ½ cup sugar; 1 pound filo sheets (about 18 sheets), thawed in the refrigerator if frozen; 2 cups water; 2 cups sugar; 2 lemon zest strips, each 3 inches long; 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation info

Makes about
36
pieces

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Sephardic Flavors

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2000

About

Both Greeks and Turks claim this masterpiece of Middle Eastern sweets. It can be made with walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios, or a combination. Sticky honey syrups are not traditional. Instead, a simple sugar syrup flavored with lemon juice and zest is poured over the baklava after baking.

Ingredients

1 pound blanched almonds, walnuts, or half almonds and half walnuts (about 4 cups), coarsely chopped

Method

In a bowl, combine the nuts, sugar, cinnamon, and cardamom. Brush a 9-by-l4-by-2-inch baking pan or baking dish with the melted butter or margarine. Have ready the filo sheets, keeping them covered with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. Lay a filo sheet in the bottom of the pan or dish and brush it with the butter or margarine. Repeat, brushing each layer, until you have built up 9