Baklava
The first time I had the pleasure of tasting homemade Baklava was Christmas of 2016—it was a generous gift. Beautiful, flaky, sweet, nutty, buttery, and chewy, this recipe is unparalleled. I’ve tried multiple versions at restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores; they all pale in comparison.
I’m very thankful the master of this recipe shared it with me. I offered to put her name in the title but was told it’s not necessary. As a thank you to her, please make it!
Baklava Elements
3-3/4 C Pistachios or Raw Almonds, Unshelled and Unsalted
1-1/4 C Confectioners Sugar
1 T Ground Cardamom
2 C Salted Butter, Melted
36 Filo Pastry Sheets
Whole Cloves, optional
Syrup Elements
2 C Organic Cane Sugar
1- 1/4 C Purified Water
1 T Rose Water
Directions
Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
In a small saucepan, add cane sugar and water; bring to a boil.
Simmer mixture for about 10 minutes and remove from heat; add rose water and set aside to cool.
Place nuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse with serrated blade until nuts become well-ground but not a fine powder.
In a rectangular casserole dish or shallow bowl, add ground nuts, confectioners sugar and cardamom; combine well with a fork.
Using a natural boar bristle pastry brush (this is a must), brush the sides and bottom of a rectangular baking dish with melted butter.
Place a very damp cloth on the counter and open one package of filo pastry sheets; place stack of filo sheets on top of the damp cloth, and another damp cloth over the top to prevent the filo from drying out.
Taking one sheet of filo pastry at a time, keeping the remaining filo covered, place one sheet on filo into buttered baking dish and brush completely with melted butter.
Continue adding one sheet of filo, and brushing each sheet completely with melted butter.
Using a spoon, sprinkle nut mixture evenly onto buttered filo to cover the surface.
Repeat Steps 9 and 10 until all of the nut mixture is used; you should have six total layers, with the top layer being a filo layer.
Coat a large chef's knife with melted butter and cut the pastry, diagonally, into small lozenge (diamond) shapes, about 3" X 3".
Pour remaining melted butter over the top of the baklava; if you don't have any butter left, melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour over the top.
Bake at 325° for 20 minutes and increase the heat to 375°; bake for an additional 10 minutes until filo is golden and flaky.
Remove from the oven and ladle syrup over the hot baklava; the resulting sizzle is truly intoxicating.
Cool for 2 - 3 hours (important) to allow filling to set.