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New Year Recipes
Greek Baklava
INGREDIENTS
11 ounces chopped walnuts
5 ounces chopped blanched almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough, defrosted
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 2-inch strip orange zest
1 2-inch strip lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For: 24 servings.
PREPARATION
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 x
13-inch baking pan. Toss chopped nuts with ground cinnamon and
2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut the
whole stack in half so that halves fit into baking pan. Cover
phyllo with a slightly dampened cloth to keep from drying out
as you work.
3. Place two sheets of dough in pan and
brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of nut mixture evenly over buttered phyllo.
Top with two sheets of dough, butter, and nuts, repeating this
process until nut mixture is used up. You should have approximately
6 to 8 pieces of phyllo dough left. Layer these on top, buttering
every two layers.
4. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond
or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake
for about 50 minutes until phyllo is golden and crisp. Meanwhile,
make the syrup. Place water and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium saucepan
and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add the
remaining ingredients and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon
stick and strips of zest from the syrup. When you remove the
pastry from the oven, immediately spoon warm syrup evenly over
the baklava. Allow to cool. Let sit at room temperature uncovered
until time to serve. Freezes well.
Note: Makes about 24 pieces,
but yield depends on how small you cut it. For less waste, cut
into squares and not into diamond shapes.
