Shared by Viviane Bowell
Shared by Viviane Bowell
Baklava
Yield: 40 piecesTime: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Baklava
Yield: 40 piecesTime: 1 hour and 15 minutesFamily Journey
Aleppo, SyriaCairo, EgyptLondon
Bristol, England and Toledo, SpainConstantinople (present-day Istanbul)Cairo, Egypt
LondonBristol, England
This walnut baklava recipe comes from Viviane Bowell and her cookbook “A Culinary legacy: Recipes from a Sephardi Egyptian kitchen.” Growing up in Cairo, Viviane remembers baklava being served at special occasions like a bris or a bar mitzvah. Her mother would also set it out as part of a spread for guests along with Turkish coffee, menenas, candied orange segments, and quince jam.
Made across Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East, baklava can be prepared with various different nut fillings (and sometimes different shapes), but pistachios and walnuts are particularly popular. If you prefer, you can also add or swap in almonds or hazelnuts. Since the nuts will be chopped up, don't worry too much about their appearance, but be sure they are fresh and good quality. Phyllo dough is labeled with numbers that denote the thickness of the dough. Look for #4 for this recipe.
Read more about Viviane in “The Jam Fridge of Cairo” and try her recipe for molokhia, a garlic-y stew made with greens.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 pount walnuts, almonds, and/or hazelnuts
- 3 tablespoons caster sugar
For the pastry
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 lb phyllo pastry
For the syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 2
In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over a low heat. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3
Prepare the filling: Place the nuts and sugar in a food processor and pulse until you have a medium-fine mixture. Place the nut mixture into a bowl and add about 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and oil. Mix well and set aside.
Step 4
Assemble the baklava: Grease a 12 inch baking dish or tin. Fit half the pastry sheets in the dish, one at a time, brushing each generously with the butter and oil mixture. Ease the phyllo pastry into the corners, folding and overlapping as required and trimming the edges if necessary. Be sure to work with one sheet at a time while keeping the rest covered in a clean damp towel, as phyllo pastry dries very quickly. Spread the nut mixture evenly over the sheets. Cover with the remaining sheets of phyllo, one at a time, brushing each, including the top, with the melted butter and oil mixture.
Step 5
Using a sharp knife, cut about 9 diagonal lines starting from the bottom left corner of the pan, then cut another 9 diagonal lines from the bottom right corner to create diamond shapes. Be sure to cut all the way through to the bottom.
Step 6
Bake the baklava until the top is golden, about 40-45 minutes
Step 7
While the baklava bakes, prepare the syrup: In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in the orange blossom water, and let cool completely in the refrigerator.
Step 8
Remove the baklava from the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Carefully pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot pastry — it should sizzle. For extra crispness, you can return it to the oven for 5 more minutes.
Step 9
Serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
