With Easter just around the corner, this would be a terrific and, yes, traditional treat. Use it for a dessert at your Brunch Buffet or Easter dinner.
It can be long in time to make, so make it up to a week ahead of when you want to serve it. As long as it is in an airtight container and not put in the refrigerator, it will be wonderful and delicious with no harm done.
*Note: Do not crush the nuts in a food processor. Just chop them. If put in a processor, they made the Baklava very heavy and not pleasant, as it should be. Just sayin’.
Read through first, then make your syrup before working with the phyllo.
- 3 1/4 cups whole almonds, skins on, finely chopped
- 2 1/3 cups walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 x 1 lb. pkg of phyllo dough, thawed
Whisk together the almonds, walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt until really well combined.
Generously brush a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish with melted butter.
Halve the phyllo sheets and keep covered with 2 layers of plastic wrap and then topped with a damp tea towel (of course, clean). Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the baking dish and generously brush with butter. Continue layering 2 sheets at a time staggering sheets every two layers slightly to cover the bottom of the dish, until you have 10 layers in total.
When you have brushed the top layer with butter, spread 1 1/2 cups nut mixture over it and drizzle with 2 tbsp. butter. Do this step 3 more times. Oh, by the way, when done you should have 50 layers of phyllo. Butter the top and let stand 15 minutes to allow it to harden a little.
Now the fun…..with a very sharp knife, cut in 16 diagonal rectangles, then cut each piece in half diagonally. You must ensure you cut all the way through.
Bake this until golden (55 – 60 minutes) in a 350 degree oven.
Syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 orange,halved
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
- 2/3 cup honey
Combine the sugar and water in a 3 qt. saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the fruit into the sugar mixture. Add the fruit halves and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil, stirring often until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature and pour through a sieve, pressing on the fruit halves and then discard all the solids.
Chill, uncovered, until cold. (about an hour).
Now, SLOWLY pour the cold syrup over the Baklava, getting into all the cuts, sides and all over the top. Now, let this stand for 8 hours. Once the Baklava has reached room temperature, cover with plastic. Do not chill.
Sweet? Sure.
Beyond your dreams? Absolutely.
Will you enjoy this? More than you will ever know.
YUMMY!
Phyllo Pizza With Mozzarella Cheese And Cherry Tomatoes
I can think of a few in our family who will run from this recipe (they don’t like tomatoes) so change it and add whatever you will eat, basically. This is a simple pizza without heavy foods piled on top. After all, it is a phyllo dough. Actually, I can see my son-in-law making this. He makes a mean bruschetta as well.
This would make an awesome hors d’oeurve in the summer, on the patio, glass of wine in hand…what else is there?
- 12-14 oz. pear shaped and/or cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- generous pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 12 – 12 x 9 inch sheets of frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 5-6 tbsp. finely grated Asiagpo cheese, packed, divided
- 1/2 orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
- 2 tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the tomatoes with oil, salt and dried basil in a medium bowl; and scatter on an parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until they start to collapse (about 18-20 minutes).
Remove from the oven and let the tomatoes cool down. Keep the oven temperature at 400 degrees.
Place the phyllo on a work surface and cover with a damp towel. Place 1 sheet at a time on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter (Another neat trick here is to melt the butter and place in a spray bottle. Just mist the dough with the melted butter. Stack each sheet, one at a time, misting each one. Every third layer of dough, also sprinkle some of the Asiago cheese. This will use up the cheese by the time you finish the layers.
Leave a 1 inch border all around the pizza without anything on it.
Top with the roasted tomatoes, pepper strips and fresh basil and bake for about 25-27 minutes. Loosen with a large spatula and slide onto a cutting board. Slice into squares and serve.
As I mentioned before, pour a glass of chilled white wine, invite some friends, serve this pizza and the conversation and laughter will abound.
Enjoy!
Brie In Phyllo With Fresh Lemon Marmalade
This makes a great start to a wonderful evening.
- Phyllo dough
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- Egg White lightly beaten
- 1 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts (enough for both the inside and out)
- Brie Cheese (outer skin removed) cut in small squares
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on a flat surface and brush lightly with melted butter. Sprinkle finely chopped nuts over the surface and add the second sheet of phyllo dough and lightly brush with melted butter.
Cut into 2 inch squares. Place a square of the cheese in the center and fold into a triangle. Make sure to brush the edges with water and press to make sure they have sealed. Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
Warm Lemon Marmalade
2 tbsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups fresh lemon, chopped into small pieces
1 cup berry sugar
1 1/2 tsp. hot chili flakes
In a saucepan bring the sugar and fruit to a boil and simmer until it becomes thick. Add the peppers. This will take about 40-4 5 minutes.
Serve the hot phyllo packets with the warm marmalade and Wow! Truly yummy. Make sure you have small plates and napkins for your guests.