Christmas Baklava

Well, OK, not really fat. But Big. And Greek. And Baklava! This stuff is amazing. Really.

It’s a little time-consuming if you don’t have a food processor. Which I didn’t when I first started making it. But oh, so worth it.

And today I just happened to be home all alone so I decided to go play in the kitchen.

I love being home all alone. I can crank up my music as loud as I want and don’t have to see anyone stomp into the kitchen, roll their eyes at me and say, “Mother! Turn your music down! You’re not the only one who lives here ya know!” Not that that has anything to do with Greece. Or Baklava. It just makes me giggle. But back to the Baklava. The history of this amazingly crispy, gooey, and sweet dessert is a little unclear.

Both Greece and Turkey claim to be the traditional place of origin and there are centuries-old recipes from both cultures, but the ancient Romans also had similar recipes.

Ingredients :

• 1/2 pound chopped pecans
• 1/2 pound chopped walnuts
• 2-3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 pound package of Phyllo dough
• 1-1/2 cups butter, melted
• 2-1/2 cups of honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
• Mix nuts together in a large bowl and toss with the ground cinnamon. Set aside.

BANANA PUDDING BROWNIES

Directions :

Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.
Place 2 sheets of phyllo at the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with melted butter.
Sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all the nuts, butter, and phyllo are used.
End with about 6 layers of phyllo on the top. If you still have some butter left, brush it over the top layer.
Using a very sharp knife, cut through all layers of the baklava. Cut 3-4 sliced length-wise.
Then make diagonal cuts to make diamond shapes.
Bake in a heated 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes, until golden and crisp.
While baklava is baking, heat honey in a saucepan until close to boiling. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest.
When baklava is done baking, immediately pour the honey mixture over the top.
Let cool completely in the pan.

[mashshare]