Recipe: Baklava

Baklava. Picture / Babiche Martens.

BAKLAVA
Makes 24 pieces

Syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup runny honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 4 pieces lemon peel
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp corn syrup (optional)

Base
• 3½ cups roughly chopped pistachios and walnuts
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp cardamom
• ½ cup melted butter
• 375g filo pastry

1. Set oven to 170C.

2. To make syrup place sugar, honey, cinnamon, cardamom, lemon, water and corn syrup in a pot. Simmer for 15 minutes until syrupy and reduced slightly. Set aside to cool.

3. Mix together nuts, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom.

4. Brush base of a 20 x 30cm tin with melted butter. Trim sides of filo to fit tin. Spread out 2 sheets of filo then spread with butter. Continue until base is 8 layers thick. Sprinkle a third of nuts and sugar over. Layer with another 2 sheets of filo, butter and another third of the nuts, then repeat. For the top, layer 2 filo sheets and butter until it is 6-8 layers thick. Butter top. Cut four even strips lengthwise down the tin. Cut on a diagonal into diamonds.

5. Bake for 30 minutes. If too brown after 10 minutes, cover with foil and continue to cook. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour half the syrup over. Cool for 30 minutes then add remaining syrup. Baklava will keep for up to two weeks.

- VIVA