The Best Baklava

This is a FANTASTIC recipe. I made it for my church. Received a lot good compliments !! Whatever you do, you HAVE to give this dish a try. Don’t forget the Cardamom!

The Best Baklava

Total Time: 1 hr 20 min
Prep: 40 min
Cook: 40 min
Yield:about 36 (1 1/2-inch) pieces of baklava

Ingredients

For the Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 (1-inch) strip lemon zest
• Pinch ground cloves
• Pinch ground cardamom

For the filling and dough:

• 1 pound walnuts, or a combination of walnuts, pistachios and almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 pound phyllo, thawed according to package instructions

 
Directions

1. Remove phyllo dough package from freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw.
   Remove from fridge approximately 1 hour before using.
2. To make the syrup:
3. Combine the sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, cloves and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the syrup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and lemon zest and set syrup aside to cool.
4. Using knife, finely chop the nuts or if you have a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped
5. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the nuts, cinnamon, and salt and stir well to combine.
6. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
   Brush, lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter.
7. Measure the phyllo sheets; If they are larger than your baking dish, use a sharp knife to cut the phyllo sheets approximately the same size as your baking dish.
8. Discard any scraps.
9. Cover the sheets with a piece of plastic wrap and a lightly damp kitchen towel, as the sheets of phyllo dry out very quickly if left uncovered.
10. Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
    Place 1 of the sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the buttered baking dish and lightly brush with some of the melted butter.
    Repeat this procedure with 6 more sheets of phyllo, for a total of 7 layers.
11. Measure about 3/4 cup of the nut mixture and spread the nut mixture evenly over the buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat with 7 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each layer as before, and top these sheets with another 3/4 cup of the nut mixture.
12. Continue this layering process, buttering 7 sheets of phyllo and topping each 7 sheets with 3/4 cup of the nuts, until you have used all of the nut mixture.
13. Layer any remaining sheets of phyllo on top, buttering between each layer, until all of the phyllo sheets have been used.
14. Use a sharp knife to make 4 cuts lengthwise through the layered phyllo at 1 1/2 inch intervals. (You should end up with 5 lengthwise strips 1 1/2 inches wide.) Now use your knife to cut diagonally across the strips at 1 1/2-inch intervals to form diamond shapes. You should end up with approximately 36 diamond-shaped pieces of baklava in the baking dish.
15. Note: Can cut into squares. I prefer squares.
16. Bake the baklava until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
    Remove the baklava from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Using a ladle or small measuring cup, slowly drizzle the cooled syrup over the warm baklava. Allow to stand several hours before serving.

Recipe By Emeril Lagasse