Stelios' Baklava
(To be honest, Stelios hasn't made this for us, but it's based on a recipe from one of
his favorite restaurants. He makes other dishes that are fantastic, so I'm giving
him credit for this one.)
This one takes some time and patience, but it comes out great. I've made the same
mistakes a few times and it still tastes good. Debbie tells the story of how I
stayed up until 3:00 AM making baklava, but the truth is that it was closer to 2:00.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. (1 box) frozen fillo dough
- 1 1/2 cup (3 sticks) butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/3 cup walnut pieces
- 1 1/3 cup sliced almonds
- 1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 stick (3 inches) cinnamon
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tbsp. port or brandy
- 24 (or so) whole cloves
Preparation:
- Read the directions carefully and well in advance - some steps (like thawing the fillo dough) take a very long time!
- Thaw the fillo dough according to the directions on the package, usually 8 hours in the refrigerator and then an hour at room temperature
- Clarify the butter by melting it over low heat in a small saucepan. Remove from
the heat and allow to cool until the solids fall to the bottom. Spoon off the foam
on top and gently pour the clear butter into a bowl. Throw out the solids at the
bottom of the pan.
- Spread out the nuts in a baking pan and toast them for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees
or until golden brown. Stir every once in a while during and after toasting.
Let them cool for a few minutes, then put about 1/2 of them in a food processor and
pulse a few times until the nuts are finely chopped (but not powdered). Repeat with
the rest of the nuts. Mix together with the ground cinnamon and bread crumbs.
- Butter the sides and bottom of a 13x9 glass baking dish. Open the fillo dough
package and cut the sheets in half, so you wind up with about 50 sheets that will fit into
the dish (the fillo I use comes in a package of 24 13x18 sheets). Lay one sheet of
fillo into the pan and brush it with butter. Put another sheet on top, butter it,
and repeat until you've done 18 sheets, leaving the last sheet unbuttered. Spread
1/4 of the nut mixture over the sheet, then cover with 4 sheets of fillo, buttering the
first 3 sheets. Spread another 1/4 of the nut mixture, then 4 sheets of fillo, and
repeat until all of the nuts have been used. Put the rest of the fillo sheets on
top, buttering in between each sheet, and finish with butter on top.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the sheets into four lengthwise strips, then cut each strip
diagonally into five diamond-shaped pieces (don't cut all the way to the edges, o she
fillo will curl up when baking). Use a spatula to tuck the fillo down along the
edges of the pan. Place a clove in the center of each piece, then bake at 350 for an
hour or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack until completely cool.
- Put the water, sugar, 4 cloves, and cinnamon stick into a 3-qt pan and bring to a boil.
Stir constantly while the sugar dissolves, then boil for 5 minutes. Add the
honey and boil for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat
and stir in the port or brandy, then allow the syrup to cool until lukewarm.
- Pour the syrup over the baklava, cover lightly, and let sit for a few hours or overnight
at room temperature. Finish the cuts between the pieces and you're done!
Possible problem areas are: having the fillo dry out (cover it with wax paper and a
damp towel), running out of butter (I do this every time!), and starting too late.
The whole process, from clarifying the butter to pouring the syrup and going to
sleep, usually takes me 4-5 hours. It should take less, but that would make it too
easy.