Baklava

I am Greek. Do I need to say anything more? Baklava runs in my veins. I have been eating it for as long as I can remember.

Baklava is actually very easy to make. Its just a bit tedious and takes some time but the results are worth the effort.

Baklava is layers of phyllo pastry and nuts with a honey based syrup.

The quantities of your ingredients will depend on the size of your oven dish. I used a large roasting dish so I used 2 packages of phyllo, 2 pounds of nuts, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 pound of unsalted butter.

Using a brush coat the bottom of your dish with some butter.

Start placing 2 sheets of phyllo on the bottom of your dish and brushing the whole surface with butter. Repeat twice more for a total of 6 sheets buttering every second sheet.

Now add a layer of chopped nuts mixed with cinnamon. I use a mixture of walnuts, almonds and pecans. I chop them but not too fine as I like to taste fairly large pieces of nut when I'm eating Baklava.

Add 2 sheets of phyllo and brush with butter.

Repeat the process of layers of phyllo , butter and nuts until you are out of nuts.

Cover with 6 sheets of phyllo buttering every 2 sheets. Most recipes call for butter on every sheet but I find it too rich. Feel free to do so though. When you're done use a sharp knife to cut into square or diamond shaped pieces. Try not to cut all the way through. You will do so later. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

The syrup is the key to a good baklava and the key to a good syrup is the honey. Use your favorite honey and you will not be disappointed. The recipe is simple. 2 parts water, 2 parts sugar and 1 part honey. Boil the water, add the sugar and the honey and simmer for 20 minutes. I add the peel from one lemon while simmering but you can add a vanilla bean or extract if your wish. Allow to cool and poor over the hot baklava immediately after taking it out of the oven. That's it. Allow the whole thing to cool. Now you can cut the pieces through and remove them from the dish. When storing cover loosely as a tight seal will render the pieces soggy.

Enjoy!