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Baklava

A sweet dessert native to the area once dominated by the former Ottoman Empire, Central Asia, and the countries in between. Today it is popular mainly in Turkey and in the Balkans and most Arab countries, also in parts of Asia.

Ingredients:

500 g of puff pastry 450 g coarsely ground walnut kernels (pistachios) 225 g melted butter 100 g granulated sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon smooth flour For syrup: 6 tablespoons of liquid honey 1 tablespoon lemon juice 340 ml water 340 g of sugar

Procedure:

1. Place the sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts in a bowl, mix everything together and set aside
2. Place one sheet in a baking dish of the same size as the rolled out sheets, brush it with butter, roll out another sheet and place it on top of the buttered one, repeat the process twice more
4. Place a quarter of the walnuts on top of the pastry sheets, cover with another pastry sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle again with the walnut mixture, continue in this way until the walnut filling is used up
5. Use a knife to cut diamonds in the baklava about halfway through the layer
7. Place the baking dish in an oven preheated to 150 °C and bake the cake in it for about 45 minutes until golden brown
8. Heat the honey over a low heat and mix it with the sugar, lemon juice and water, pour the prepared syrup over the surface of the baklava, let it cool for about 1 hour
9. Finally, cut through all the layers of the dessert to form separate rhomboids of baklava and serve.

Recommendation:

Pistachios can be substituted for part of the walnuts.

Note:

Recipe for homemade puff pastry can be found here.