Recipe of the Week: Turkish Baklava

( FOOD FOR THOUGHT at  www.truthcaster.com )

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Recipe of the Week: Turkish Baklava:

This week’s recipe hails from Turkey – and what’s more Turkish than Baklava? The recipe has been adapted from Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook; be sure to check out Binnur’s site for more authentic Turkish recipes!

TURKISH BAKLAVA

Makes 24

Ingredients:

Syrup:

1 ¼ cups water

1 ¾ cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Baklava:

1 pound Phyllo Pastry (about 20-22 sheets)

1 cup + 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ cups coarsely ground pistachios (plus about ¼ cup more for garnish)

6 tablespoons heavy cream (35%)

Instructions:

1) Brush a 13×9 (3-litre) glasses baking dish with butter and preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Prepare the syrup: place the water and sugar in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, stir in lemon juice, and transfer to a bowl to cool.

3) Assemble the baklava: Place the block of phyllo sheets on a cutting board and cut in half (so they are about 8×12 inches) so you have roughly 40 sheets the same size as your glass dish.

4) Lay down two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of your buttered dish, brush with melted butter, lay down two more sheets of phyllo and brush with butter once again. Continue this process until you make your way through one half of the phyllo. Cover the final layer with the heavy cream and then sprinkle 1 ½ cups pistachios over top. Now place the remaining phyllo and butter on top, using the same process as you did with the first amount (2 sheets phyllo, brush with butter, repeat). Brush the top with butter.

5) Dip a large, sharp knife in hot water and cut the baklava into 24 rectangles. Do not cut all the way through to the dish, just cut until you reach the pistachio filling. Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes; reduce heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

6) Using your sharp knife, re-cut the baklava so it’s cut through to the dish. Using a tablespoon, pour the prepared syrup along the cut lines only. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup pistachios over top of the baklava and set dish aside for at least 4 hours before serving. Store covered at room temperature for up to a week.

So, what’s next on Food Freeway? Let’s give Chile a shot, shall we? Have you ever been to Chile? If so, what did you think of the food? What was your favourite dish?

Also, make sure you stop by Wanderfood for Wanderfood Wednesday, where you’ll find a ton of links to delicious posts!

Photo Credit: Garrett Ziegler