Topanga Honey Rolled Baklava Recipes

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the nut mixture: Combine walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, then set aside.
• For the filo: Brush an 18-by-13-inch baking dish with clarified butter, then lay out 12 sheets filo dough in the baking dish, brushing clarified butter between each. Sprinkle a third of the nut mixture on top. Layer 4 more sheets of the filo dough on top, brush with butter and add another third of the nut mixture. Layer again with 4 more sheets of the filo dough, brush with melted butter and add the remaining nut mixture. Cover with 10 filo dough sheets, brushing clarified butter between each.
• Use a knife to score the top of the filo dough into a diagonal crosshatch and bake for 1 hour. Let cool slightly.
• For the baking syrup: Bring sugar and 4 cups water to a boil in a pot. Add lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon sticks and orange peel and stir. Pour in honey and turn heat down low to simmer, then simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour syrup over the top of the baklava. Let sit overnight at room temperature before serving.

YIAYIA'S ROLLED BAKLAVA WITH HONEY SYRUP

Steps:

• You will need a disposable aluminum baking pan that is 19" long x 12" wide x 2" high.
• Mix the ground nuts, zwibeck/bread crumbs and cinnamon together in a large bowl. You will need a 1/2 cup measuring cup for portioning the mixture. Keep mixture close to your workstation.
• Melt the butter and Crisco over medium-low heat and keep close to your workstation. You will need a pastry brush- 2"- 3" wide works best.
• Open the plastic covering of the phyllo and remove. Lay out on a flat surface and unroll so that the entire sheet is visible. It may be wise to cover with a VERY lightly damp towel so that it does not dry out.
• Take your pastry brush and butter the pan- keep near your workstation.
• On a clean surface, start by taking an entire sheet of phyllo and laying it out in front of you with the long side facing you. Butter the sheet lightly and then place another sheet of phyllo on top of it. Butter this sheet.
• With the two sheets in front of you, take the next sheet and place on top with the top of the sheet covering only half of the full sheets. You will have the other half hanging below -this will stay unbuttered for now. Butter the top half and then fold over the hanging unbuttered half and let it rest on top. Butter this layer. REPEAT WITH ONE MORE SHEET OF PHYLLO.
• Using 1/2 cup measure, scoop out a portion of nuts and distribute evenly along the bottom half of the phyllo ( the area where there is now 6 layers).
• Starting at the edge where the nuts begin, roll the baklava tightly so that you have a "tube" that is 19" long and about 1 1/2" wide. Place this tube into the buttered pan, placing it against the side so that there is room for the 7 additional rolls that will join it. Butter the top and side of the tube and move on to your next roll.
• Repeat all steps until you have 8 rolls that fill the pan. Brush the entire top with more melted butter. Run your hand under cold water and sprinkle the water on top of the baklava. You want some water droplets on top but be careful not saturate it with too much!
• Place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F while the baklava is in the fridge.
• Take the baklava and with a sharp knife cut the top into pieces- start by "trimming" the end 1/4" then start your cuts from there.
• Each roll can be cut into either 8 or 10 pieces and each roll will need to be cut individually.The cuts should be made at a 45° angle so that the pieces are diamond shaped. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH- you are simply scoring the pieces 3/4 of the way through.
• Place in hot oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes- the baklava needs to be a deep golden brown before it leaves the oven.
• Allow to cool completely, uncovered.
• At this point the baklava can be tightly wrapped in heavy duty foil and kept in a cool, dry place for up to 3 weeks.
• Two days before you are ready to serve, the syrup will need to be prepared and poured on top of the baklava.
• Take the sugar and water and bring to a medium boil. Time the syrup for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes add the lemon juice and return to a boil- time for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes add the honey and boil for an additional 4 minutes. Take off the heat.
• Using a ladle, put the hot syrup onto the baklava in an even manner, making sure that the entire pan is covered.
• Allow to sit uncovered until bottom of pan is cool, about 2 hours. Re-cover with foil and allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours but preferably 48 hours. This allows the syrup to absorb into all of the phyllo layers.
• Using a serated butter knife, cut into pieces and enjoy. Be careful if you choose to use a sharp knife when cutting the pieces all the way through- puncturing the bottom of the pan will leave a goody mess behind!
• Variation- use 3 cups lightly toasted ground pecans and 1 cup mini chocolate chips in place of the walnuts. Omit the cinnamon but still use the 1/3 cup of zwibeck or bread crumbs. Finish pieces with a drizzle of melted dark chocolate. YUMMY!

ROLLED BAKLAVA, BAKLAVA ORTHI

Steps:

• Combine all of the syrup ingredients in a 2 quart stainless saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the saucepan off the heat, remove the lemon and spices, and allow the syrup to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place the pistachios and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, to coat the nuts, in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Using the pulse method, process them until they are coarsely ground. Be sure not to over process the nuts because they will turn to paste. Remove the ground pistachios from the processor and place in a bowl and set aside.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter slowly on very low heat. Meanwhile, thoroughly combine the ground pistachios, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl. Take 4 sheets of phyllo dough and brush each sheet with melted butter, layering the sheets as you go. Once the 4 sheets are pressed together, sprinkle 1 cup of the nut mixture over the top sheet and roll, lengthwise, until you reach the end. Keep the roll as tight as possible without breaking. It should look like a long cylinder. Repeat with remaining sheets, 4 at a time.
• Cut the roll into 2-inch pieces, and dip each into the melted butter and then place on a baking sheet. Place into the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and with a pair of tongs remove each piece from the pan, dip in the syrup, and place on a cake rack to drain. If the syrup begins to thicken, it can be reheated slightly. Serve in small cup cake cups on a platter.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine 3 cups of the sugar, the water, honey, lemon juice cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves, and let cool.
• In a large bowl, combine the walnuts, almonds, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves and set aside.
• Unroll the filo dough on a flat surface and keep it covered with waxed paper and a damp towel so it doesn't dry out and become brittle. Remove 8 filo sheets, fold, cover and refrigerate for the top layer. Using a pastry brush, brush a 15 1/2 by 11 1/2 by 3 inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Lay a filo sheet on the bottom of the pan, brush with butter, and repeat using a total of 8 sheets. Sprinkle a handful of the nut mixture over the top filo sheet. Layer 3 more filo sheets, brushing each with butter, and sprinkle again with a handful of the nut mixture. Continue until all the filo sheets and nuts are used, being sure to brush each sheet with butter. Use the reserved 8 sheets of filo for the last, top layer.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Using a long, very sharp knife, cut the baklava into small diamonds: First make 6 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts. Cut straight down until the tip of the knife touches the bottom of the pan, and keeping the knife straight, cut in a straight line all the way. Next, cut diagonally across the lengthwise cuts to form diamonds, starting in one corner and making cuts until you reach the opposite corner.
• Heat the remaining butter until it bubbles and pour it over the top of the pastry. Bake for 1 1/4
• hours or until evenly golden and flaky. Remove to a rack and spoon the cooled syrup over the entire pastry. Cool in the pan, then serve pieces individually, placing them in decorative paper cups if desired.