A Baklava Recipe
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I recently started making Baklava. I think I've made it three times now. Maybe a fourth time tomorrow :) The first time I gave my sister a piece and she really liked it so I made another batch for her for her birthday. That one ended up being a little different, but both were good. She gave some people pieces and they all liked it so my sister asked me for the recipe. Here's what I sent her in email:
My problem with cooking is I never follow recipes very closely. I figure it's all good food so what difference does it make. As a result some of my productions are good enough and some are great, and when I get a great result I can't tell you why.
Here's the recipe that I use.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baklava/
I think the first one I made was nearly all pistachio nuts, but I can't remember for sure. The second time I'm pretty sure was about 50% pistachios, 25% almonds and 25% walnuts. If it were me I would er on the side of pistachios. But I think at least a bit of a mix is good.
I've always associated baklava with honey, but surprisingly there's no honey in the base. It's only in the syrup. I also never associated cinnamon with baklava, but it's in both the base and the syrup. Now that I've studied the taste the cinnamon is clear to me. Both times I used about half again as much cinnamon and cloves. That is, I increased their quantities to 150% or more. The first time I also increased the sugar to about 7/8's of a cup, but the second time I used more (maybe 50% more) nuts than called for. As a result my first Baklava was sweeter. I think they were both good so it reinforces my overall concept if it's all good going in how can you fail?
The first time I made the syrup I followed the recipe and used juice from a juiced lemon (I'm a snob for non-processed ingredients - on the few times that I set out to really follow a recipe I always follow a from-scratch recipe). I really like lemon so I went heavy on the lemon (thinking how can I fail). Well, I think it was definitely too lemony. But that was the first one you had and you liked that one best of all. Suffice it to say a little lemon goes a long way. This last time I made it I put a lemon third in there: just cut a third of a well washed lemon off and drop it (*place it* to avoid a mess) into the syrup. I noticed a tiny tiny hint of bitterness from the lemon rind. I'm still looking for a way to get a hint of lemon without any bitterness. The only thing is when the syrup is on the baklava you don't taste the bitterness at all so I'm wondering if maybe it's a good thing. I think the next time I make it I'll use juice only, but just a 1/4 or 1/2 TEAspoon.
Every time I've made it I've at least doubled the honey quantity in the syrup. The first time (the lemony syrup) was probably no more than double. The second time was probably more than doubled. Neither time have I regretted the extra honey so I'll always at least double the honey in the future. Oh, BTW, neither time have I ended up using all the syrup.
I have always ended up using all the phyllo dough so I've never bothered with the damp cloth to keep it from drying, but it does dry very quickly so you don't want to take any long breaks once you open the dough. The first time I used just a regular phyllo from the grocery. The second time I went to a Greek deli and bought a thinner phyllo. To be honest I can't tell the difference. Now I have some frozen dough (from the deli) so the next time I make it I'll get to see if that makes a difference (I'm expecting it won't).
Both times I ended up using more butter than called for. You definitely want to use a butter brush. The first time I think I used a spoon - that was a pain. When you go to cut the baklava into squares (I've never done triangles - what's the point?) the top layers of phyllo will stay together and the whole thing will want to slide over the nut mix. So you have to carefully hold the crust while you cut it (you cut it before you bake it). Oh, I've always put the syrup on when both were hot, and neither syrup has gotten to be what I would consider thick. I think I used two cinnamon sticks both times.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/baklava/ [Archive]
