Baklava DessertsChristmas RecipesEaster RecipesBreakfast Recipes

Ingredients

• 225g (8oz) (16 tbsp) Kerrygold butter, extra for greasing
• 12 sheets filo pastry, thawed if frozen
• 100g (4oz) (1 cup) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• 100g (4oz) (1 cup) walnut halves, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp granualted sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

For the syrup

• 200g (7oz) (1 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius (350 degrees fahrenheit), Gas mark 4. Grease an 18cm x 28cm (7in x 11 in) baking tin with butter. Melt the remaining butter in a pan over low heat or in a microwave.
2. Lay 6 sheets of filo pastry, one at a time, into the tin. Trim down as necessary and brush each sheet with the melted butter before adding the next. Mix together the nuts, sugar and cardamom and spread the mixture over the pastry in the tray. Layer up the remaining sheets on top of the nut mixtur, brushing each sheet with butter, as before. Using a sharp knife, cut a criss-cross pattern into the top layers of the pastry.
3. 3 Bake the bakalava in the oven for 20 minutes, then decrease the oven temperature to 150 degrees celcius (300 degrees fahrenheit), Gas mark 2 and cook for another 30-40 minutes or until the pastry is slighly puffed and golden on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slighly.
4. Meanwhil, make the syrup. Heat the sugar, lemon juice and orange blossom water, if using in a small, heavy based pan with 150ml (1/4 pint) (2/3 cup) of water and cook over a medium heat until the sugar has melted and a syrup is formed. This will take 15 minutes or so. Once the baklava has had a chance to cool slighly, carefully pour the syrup into the slits in the baklava and leave to cool completely.
5. To serve, cut the baklava into small diamond shaped pieces and serve on small plates.

Sticky, sweet, flaky and nutty, a small slice of baklava goes a long way, especially with a cup of strong coffee. Serve after a mezze feast. Once you've unwrapped the filo pastry from its packet make sure you keep it under a damp tea towel until you are ready to use or it will drack and dry out.

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