HONEY BAKLAVA
Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and held together with a honey syrup. This simple desert is a showstopper and great to make a day ahead as it's even tastier when all those sweet and nutty flavours have got to know one another a bit better!
Honey syrup
· ¾ cup of granulated sugar
· 1 cup Shropshire honey
· 1 cup water
· Juice from 1 large lemon
Filling
· 170g unsalted pistachios (de-shelled and roughly chopped. Save some for decorations)
· 170g walnuts (roughly chopped)
· ¼ cup of granulated sugar
· 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
· 500g unsalted butter (melted)
· Approx. 12 to 15 sheets of filo pastry
Method
Preheat oven to 175 degrees celsius. Start on your honey syrup; heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the honey and continue to stir. Bring mixture to the boil and then simmer on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Set aside, this will thicken as it cools.
Now to the filling; add pistachios and walnuts to a food processor, pulsing slightly (be careful not to process too much or the mixture will become powdery). Transfer to a large bowl and mix the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon together. Prepare the filo pastry by unrolling onto a flat surface and trimming to fit the baking tin, nothing should be hanging over the edge. Brush the base and sides of your baking tin with melted butter.
It’s time to assemble your baklava! Place one filo pastry sheet in the baking tin and brush the top with melted butter. Repeat for about 5 more sheets then spread half of the filling mixture in an even layer over the pastry. Continue layering with filo pastry and melted butter (another 5 sheets) Spread the rest of the filling over the pastry and repeat the layering. Brush the final sheet of pastry with melted butter. Before baking slice the pastry into diamonds as in the photos. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 – 45 minutes. The baklava is ready when the top has turned a deep golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately pour over your cooled honey syrup. Decorate with chopped pistachios.
Recipe by Clem & Ai-Linh (@clemangerie)