Spread the Joy of Cooking..!
Coming up yet again with another mouthwatering recipe. And this time it is a desert. A dessert is my all-time favourite and I wanted to share the recipe for a long time. It's Turkish Baklava. It's so crunchy, nutty, flaky, syrupy, sticky and gooey that once you start eating you can not stop. These bite-sized baklavas are made from layers of phyllo sheets, 2 types of nut mixture and sugar syrup. They're so good that it is hard to stop just at one. You urge to have more and more. One of the best baklavas I tried was in Vienna, which we visited during our this summer vacations. With this dessert, you can feed a crowd at any get-together or party. Just feed this baklava with a scoop of ice cream and you will have the best thing in this world.
There is a long-aged fight with Turkey and Greek for the origin of this dessert, so till now, it is not clear where it was originated. Some say it was once made in the kitchen of the Turkish King. But who knows..! The one who ever created, they did the most amazing creation in the world of desserts and sweets. Now it is the world-famous dish people loves to eat. If you are not familiar with Baklava, it's a nutty mixture, layered between buttered phyllo sheets baked and then soaked in sugar syrup. It's a time-consuming process. But I tell you, every effort and wait, is worth it.
Coming up yet again with another mouthwatering recipe. And this time it is a desert. A dessert is my all-time favourite and I wanted to share the recipe for a long time. It's Turkish Baklava. It's so crunchy, nutty, flaky, syrupy, sticky and gooey that once you start eating you can not stop. These bite-sized baklavas are made from layers of phyllo sheets, 2 types of nut mixture and sugar syrup. They're so good that it is hard to stop just at one. You urge to have more and more. One of the best baklavas I tried was in Vienna, which we visited during our this summer vacations. With this dessert, you can feed a crowd at any get-together or party. Just feed this baklava with a scoop of ice cream and you will have the best thing in this world.
There is a long-aged fight with Turkey and Greek for the origin of this dessert, so till now, it is not clear where it was originated. Some say it was once made in the kitchen of the Turkish King. But who knows..! The one who ever created, they did the most amazing creation in the world of desserts and sweets. Now it is the world-famous dish people loves to eat. If you are not familiar with Baklava, it's a nutty mixture, layered between buttered phyllo sheets baked and then soaked in sugar syrup. It's a time-consuming process. But I tell you, every effort and wait, is worth it.
I have tried this recipe couple of times before, and finally, I found this recipe worth sharing. Thirty crispy layers, of buttered phyllo sheets with nuts, makes it light yet tasty and delicious. There are many ways of making this dessert, but this one is my take on it. There are basically 4 easy steps to make Baklava. First, grind the nuts and make sugar syrup. Second, apply butter and layering the phyllo sheets with nuts. Third, bake the Baklava and soak it in the sugar syrup. And lastly, the most important step; WAIT WAIT WAIT... Let it soak in the sugar syrup for at least 8 hours before hogging it.
Standing Time:- 8 hours Total Time:- 9 hrs 30 minutes
Total Serving: 24 pieces
MEASUREMENTS:-
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
MEASUREMENTS:-
1 cup = 250 ml
¾ cup = 200 ml
½ cup = 125 ml
1/3 cup = 80 ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
½ teaspoon = 2.5 ml
¼ teaspoon = 1.25 ml
INGREDIENTS
SUGAR SYRUP:
* Granulated Sugar:- 1 3/4 cups
* Lemon Juice:- 1 teaspoon
* A pinch of salt
* Water:- 3/4 cup
FILLING:
* De skinned Almonds:- 1 cup
* Unsalted Pistachios:- 1 cup
PASTRY:
* Phyllo Sheets:- 1 packet ( 500 grams)
* Unsalted Butter:- 150 grams
* Flavorless Vegetable Oil:- 1/2 cup
METHOD
PREPARING SUGAR SYRUP AND NUTS:
* Grind the almonds and pistachio coarsely but not too coarsely. Make sure you give a pulse before grinding it completely. (Do not grind it for too long as the nuts will tend to release their oil, making it a paste. We do not want a paste.) Take it out in a bowl and keep it aside.
* In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. (Do not rush for this step as you will land up in burning the butter.) Once the butter is melted, add the vegetable oil to it and mix together thoroughly.
* In another saucepan, combine sugar, water, salt and bring it to a full boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally till the sugar is complete dissolves. Once boiled, add the lemon juice, mix it well and take off from the heat. (The syrup should not be too thick or too runny.)
LAYERING:
* Adjust your rack to medium level and preheat your over to 180 degrees Celsius. Brush a baking pan of any size which you have with melted butter. Unwrap and unfold phyllo sheets on your working area and smooth out with your hands to flatten. Using a pan as a guide, adjust the size of the phyllo and cut it to fit into the pan. (If your phyllo is too large, first cut it into half, then use a pan to measure and cut the excess sheets.) Cover the phyllo sheets with a damp cloth so that it doesn't dry out.
* Grease your pan with some melted butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet in the pan and brush it with the melted until fully coated. Place 7 more phyllo sheets in the pan, brushing each sheet with the butter. It should be 8 sheets altogether by now. Now add one cup of the chopped nuts mixed over the butter brushed phyllo sheets. Spread it evenly with the help of your hands. (Refer notes.)
* Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo sheets over the chopped nuts, again brushing each sheet with more butter. Then top another 1/2 cup of chopped nuts over the sheet, spread evenly with hands. Repeat again with 4 more sheets of phyllo, brushing butter and adding the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. It should be a total of 3 layers of nuts by now.
* Finally, layer the remaining phyllo sheets over the nuts, brushing each layer with more butter. Now with the help of your palm, gently compress the layers and remove any air pocket. (Do not press it too hard, otherwise, all the nuts will come out.) Now with the help of a sharp knife, cut the sheets into squares. To make it a perfect square, I made 4 cuts vertically and 6 cuts horizontally. (The cuts totally depends upon the size of the pan which you are using. It can be 4*5, 5*5 anything. It depends on, which size of Baklava you want to have. Ideally, the Baklava is diamond-shaped, if you want to can do so.)
* Brush the remaining butter after cutting the sheets. Coat the sheet evenly with the butter, covering each and every part of the baklava. Don't forget to brush it in between the cuts.
* Bake the baklava until golden and crispy for 45 minutes to 50 minutes. Rotate the side to the baklava when it is halfway through. (Every oven is different so time may vary. Mine took 50 minutes to bake perfect baklava. But it can take up to 1 hour depending upon the oven.)
SOAKING IN SUGAR SYRUP:
* Remove the baked Baklava from the oven and drizzle the sugar syrup over the baklava. Pour it over cut lines covering each and every corner of the Baklava. (The sugar syrup should be lukewarm at the time using it.)
* Sprinkle some chopped nuts over the ready Baklava. Cool at room temperature for an hour. Cover it with a cling wrap, or foil and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8-9 hours or overnight. After 8 hours, take it out from the fridge and enjoy.
NOTES:
* You can use only pistachios instead of mixed nuts if you want.
* You just have to brush each layer of sheets with some amount of butter, covering every corner. Do not use too much within the layers. However, use a generous amount of butter over the top layer.
* You can use a puff pastry sheet if you want, but results will not be the same as with phyllo sheets. If you are using puff pastry, in that case, there will be only 2-4 layers only.
SERVING TIPS: Perfect dessert after any meal of the day.
¼ teaspoon = 1.25 ml
INGREDIENTS
SUGAR SYRUP:
* Granulated Sugar:- 1 3/4 cups
* Lemon Juice:- 1 teaspoon
* A pinch of salt
* Water:- 3/4 cup
FILLING:
* De skinned Almonds:- 1 cup
* Unsalted Pistachios:- 1 cup
PASTRY:
* Phyllo Sheets:- 1 packet ( 500 grams)
* Unsalted Butter:- 150 grams
* Flavorless Vegetable Oil:- 1/2 cup
METHOD
PREPARING SUGAR SYRUP AND NUTS:
* Grind the almonds and pistachio coarsely but not too coarsely. Make sure you give a pulse before grinding it completely. (Do not grind it for too long as the nuts will tend to release their oil, making it a paste. We do not want a paste.) Take it out in a bowl and keep it aside.
* In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. (Do not rush for this step as you will land up in burning the butter.) Once the butter is melted, add the vegetable oil to it and mix together thoroughly.
* In another saucepan, combine sugar, water, salt and bring it to a full boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally till the sugar is complete dissolves. Once boiled, add the lemon juice, mix it well and take off from the heat. (The syrup should not be too thick or too runny.)
LAYERING:
* Adjust your rack to medium level and preheat your over to 180 degrees Celsius. Brush a baking pan of any size which you have with melted butter. Unwrap and unfold phyllo sheets on your working area and smooth out with your hands to flatten. Using a pan as a guide, adjust the size of the phyllo and cut it to fit into the pan. (If your phyllo is too large, first cut it into half, then use a pan to measure and cut the excess sheets.) Cover the phyllo sheets with a damp cloth so that it doesn't dry out.
* Grease your pan with some melted butter. Place 1 phyllo sheet in the pan and brush it with the melted until fully coated. Place 7 more phyllo sheets in the pan, brushing each sheet with the butter. It should be 8 sheets altogether by now. Now add one cup of the chopped nuts mixed over the butter brushed phyllo sheets. Spread it evenly with the help of your hands. (Refer notes.)
* Layer 4 more sheets of phyllo sheets over the chopped nuts, again brushing each sheet with more butter. Then top another 1/2 cup of chopped nuts over the sheet, spread evenly with hands. Repeat again with 4 more sheets of phyllo, brushing butter and adding the remaining 1/2 cup of nuts. It should be a total of 3 layers of nuts by now.
* Finally, layer the remaining phyllo sheets over the nuts, brushing each layer with more butter. Now with the help of your palm, gently compress the layers and remove any air pocket. (Do not press it too hard, otherwise, all the nuts will come out.) Now with the help of a sharp knife, cut the sheets into squares. To make it a perfect square, I made 4 cuts vertically and 6 cuts horizontally. (The cuts totally depends upon the size of the pan which you are using. It can be 4*5, 5*5 anything. It depends on, which size of Baklava you want to have. Ideally, the Baklava is diamond-shaped, if you want to can do so.)
* Brush the remaining butter after cutting the sheets. Coat the sheet evenly with the butter, covering each and every part of the baklava. Don't forget to brush it in between the cuts.
* Bake the baklava until golden and crispy for 45 minutes to 50 minutes. Rotate the side to the baklava when it is halfway through. (Every oven is different so time may vary. Mine took 50 minutes to bake perfect baklava. But it can take up to 1 hour depending upon the oven.)
SOAKING IN SUGAR SYRUP:
* Remove the baked Baklava from the oven and drizzle the sugar syrup over the baklava. Pour it over cut lines covering each and every corner of the Baklava. (The sugar syrup should be lukewarm at the time using it.)
* Sprinkle some chopped nuts over the ready Baklava. Cool at room temperature for an hour. Cover it with a cling wrap, or foil and place it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 8-9 hours or overnight. After 8 hours, take it out from the fridge and enjoy.
NOTES:
* You can use only pistachios instead of mixed nuts if you want.
* You just have to brush each layer of sheets with some amount of butter, covering every corner. Do not use too much within the layers. However, use a generous amount of butter over the top layer.
* You can use a puff pastry sheet if you want, but results will not be the same as with phyllo sheets. If you are using puff pastry, in that case, there will be only 2-4 layers only.
SERVING TIPS: Perfect dessert after any meal of the day.
Do try my recipe and leave comments below. Till then Happy Cooking.!
relishsavour.com by Madhurima Roy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
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