Baklava is a daunting item to make – all those buttery
layers to compose, getting the syrup just right, and not drowning your baklava
in said syrup so that you have to eat it like soup. I have seen enough batches
gone awry that I have stayed away from it for more than 30 years. But, given
that my local store had phyllo dough on sale last week, I decided it was time
to face my fears and whip out a batch.
I tried to make this once, back before I was even married.
In fact, I seem to remember that I made it at my godmother’s home in San Jose,
so that puts the date around 1979. It did not turn out well (aforementioned
soupy version). My sister-in-law attempted to make some years ago when we were
visiting the family in Colorado. While it actually looked very tasty, you could
not have cut that baklava with a chain saw. The syrup had hardened the baklava
to the point that we could not get the pieces out of the pan. We tried every
variation of knife, including an old electric knife, to no avail. It is one of
her few failures, and between the two experiences, I consider this a risky
dish. But it couldn’t have been
farther from the truth.
This time around I found baklava to be very
simple to make; I was done preparing the pan in about 10 minutes, and that
included grinding the nuts and melting the butter. Baking took another 40
minutes, during which time I made the syrup. No fancy ingredients, save the
phyllo dough, which most people do not keep on hand. And the best part of it
all was pouring the syrup over the baked baklava. Because you have a hot liquid
and a hot pan, when the syrup meets the baklava they do a happy dance, bubbling
and boiling. You can just envision that syrup making its way into every sheet
of dough, coating every nut. I tried to capture it in a photo, but really, you
need to witness this fascinating process.
So within an hour, you can have a gorgeous pan of sweet,
sticky, nutty goodness. The trick is the right recipe.
I found quite a variety of recipes available on the web and
in my cookbooks. The main variations were the nuts used, how fine to grind
them, how to layer the baklava, and the syrup ingredients. I, personally, feel
you can use most any kind of nut. Walnuts are the most traditional, but pecans,
almonds, or a mixture of nuts are totally acceptable. I happen to have several
pounds of beautiful shelled walnuts from my god-brother Scott, who grows them
up north in Gerber, California, so that is what I used.
The size or grind of the nuts really depends upon your own
preference. Some like them all ground fine, others chunky or chopped, and some
like a mixture of both. I took the middle road this time, using my food
processor to get the right consistency. The nuts were not too large, with some
ground pretty fine, meaning they should stay intact within each piece of
baklava once it is cut into pieces. (Larger pieces of nuts have a tendency to
fall out as you eat.)
As for the layering, that is also a personal preference. You
can use half your phyllo sheets then top with nuts, finishing with the
remaining sheets. Or you can make multiple layers of nuts. I believe that
multiple layers work well when the nuts are a slightly finer grind, so this is
the route I took.
And finally, the syrup, which varied widely among recipes.
Most used honey, but some only a sugar/water syrup. Some called for lemon,
others called for vanilla. Some used butter, others not. It was a hard call to
make, but I ended up choosing the recipe by Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman. She
has not failed me yet, although she had the less traditional syrup that
included butter.
It is her base recipe below, which I have adjusted slightly
and added comments to the steps to help you out. I hope you will give this
Middle Eastern delicacy a try. It’s a great recipe for a potluck or big event,
as baklava is very sweet and one is all you need.
Recipe after the jump