Baklava
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Baklava - one of the sweetest pastries you can imagine.
INGREDIENTS
SYRUP
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups honey
2-inch cinnamon stick
4 lemon slices
4 orange slices1 (1-pound) package prepared phyllo* or strudel pastry leaves, 15 x 12-inches
2 cups finely chopped or ground walnuts
1 cup finely chopped or ground blanched almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1/2 cups sweet butter, meltedMAKE SYRUP - In medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add honey, cinnamon stick and lemon and orange slices. Reduce heat, simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Strain; cool. Should measure 2-1/2 cups.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove pastry leaves from package.
In small bowl, mix walnuts, almonds, 3/4 cup sugar, the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Place 2 pastry leaves in a 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 x 1-inch jellyroll pan; brush top leaf with some of the melted butter. Continue stacking leaves, 14 in all, and buttering every other leaf. (Keep rest covered with damp towels to prevent drying.)
Sprinkle with 1/3 of nut mixture. Add 6 more leaves, brushing every other one with butter. Sprinkle with 1/3 of nut mixture. Layer 6 more leaves, brushing every other one with butter. Sprinkle the last 1/3 of nut mixture. Stack any remaining pastry leaves on top, brushing every other one with remaining melted butter and buttering top pastry leaf. Trim edges,if necessary.
With sharp knife, cut through top layer on long side; make 8 diagonal cuts at 1-1/2-inch intervals. Then, starting in 1 corn, make 9 cuts, on diagonal at 1-1/2-inch intervals to form diamonds. (Cut through top layer only; do not cut through layers.)
Bake 60 minutes, or until golden and puffy. Turn off heat. Leave in oven 60 minutes; remove. Pour cooled syrup over hot baklava.
Following diamond pattern, cut all the way through baklava. Cool in pan - to absorb syrup - on wire rack.
Makes about 35 pieces
NOTE - If phyllo leaves are frozen, thaw in refrigerator.