Greece
Baklava (Almond Pastry)
To top off your Greek Easter Dinner, you must serve some wonderful dessert and coffee.
1 lb. sweet butter
1 lb. filo pastry
1-2 lbs. blanched almonds, chopped
1 lb. shelled walnuts
2/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
3 dozen whole cloves
Ingredients for the Syrup<,/p>
2 cups honey
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Combine all of the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan, bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 min., strain and allow to cool.
Grind or chop the walnuts and almonds, and mix thoroughly with the cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Brush a 9x13x2 inch pan with butter, lay a sheet of filo in the bottom of the pan, brush with butter, and then repeat process until you have used about a dozen sheets.
Then spread one thin layer of the nut mixture on top of the filo, cover with a sheet of filo, brush with butter, cover with another layer of nuts, and repeat this process until all the nuts are used. Then cover with the remaining filo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter.
With a sharp knife, cut the top filo sheet into triangles (cutting diagonally across the pan). Insert a clove in the center of each triangle, and bake at 350F for 1-1/2 hours. When the baklava is browned, remove from the oven, and pour the syrup over it, so that it penetrates into the layers and covers the baklava. Allow the baklava to cool for several hours before serving.
The most delicious food in the world be flat without the "refreshing" feel that wine will give to the taste buds, "cleansing" them so that they are ready to taste again and again the wonderful meal for as long as it may last.
Mandilaria is the most widely disseminated indigenous variety of red wine which is found in Naxos, Paros, Santorini and the other Cyclades, in Crete and in the Dodecanese Islands, where is it called Amorgiano. This wine is deep in color, full-bodied, velvety taste, cultivated bouquet.
2007-01-15 01:43:19
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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You should make baklava at least 24 hours ahead of time -- a week is best. The longer you let the Baklava sit, the better it gets. Each pan makes 35 - 45 nice pieces depending on how close your cuts are.
Remember that the frozen phyllo (pronounced FEE-low) dough needs to thaw in the refridgerator for around 6 hours. If you thaw it at room temperature, the individual sheets of phyllo dough will stick together. Once you open the phyllo dough you will want to keep working.
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Ingredients you will need: 1 lb Walnuts - Finely Chopped
1/2 C. Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
1.5 C. Butter (3 sticks), Melted
1 Package Frozen Phyllo Dough (16 oz) Thawed
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Water
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 C. Honey
1/2 tsp Vanilla
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The steps:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Combine and set aside walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon
Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 10x14" (about 1-2" deep) pan with melted butter.
Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs (or 12 half leafs) in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (The edges will extend over the side.)
Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
If your phyllo dough comes in full sheets, cut the remaining phyllo dough in half.
Layer 8 half sheets -- butter each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan. I use a pattern so I don't forget how many layers I've put down, but it's even easier if you have a friend help!
Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
Repeat 8 sheets and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts.
Layer the remaining half sheets on top -- butter each layer.
Brush the top with the remaining butter.
Trim the edges off.
Cut halfway through the layers using the (new and improved right-hand or left-handers) diagram to the right. See my baklava FAQ page for more tips on cutting. (Note: Do NOT cut from corner to corner.) This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.
Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
15 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.
Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.
Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered -- but not in the refrigerator) -- longer if you can stand it!
2007-01-14 16:37:00
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answer #2
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answered by debwils_4kids 4
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Baklava is a greek sweet, as many other foods, byzantines or ancient greeks. Do you know that dolma comes form ancient greece?
2007-01-17 07:30:19
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answer #3
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answered by Leonarda 7
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Actually baklava is a traditional Turkish delight (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklava#History). But anyway here is the recipe ;-)
http://www.gnto.gr/pages.php?pageID=571&langID=2
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/baklava-a-recipe.htm
2007-01-15 09:35:02
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answer #4
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answered by Irmak 7
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i got this recipe from recipezaar.com...
Baklava
Recipe #5986310
Traditionally Greek. Always good.
by evelyn/athens
60 smallish pieces 1¾ hours 40 min prep
Syrup
2 cups honey (preferaby Greek thyme honey, but no biggy if you can't get it. DO use a good quality honey, though)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 inches lemons, zest
2 inches orange zest
Pastry
4 cups coarsley ground walnuts
2 cups coarsley ground almonds (make sure the nuts you use are FRESH, very recently purchased)
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 lb phyllo dough
1 lb unsalted butter, melted (don't use less, this is what will make your aklava taste exceptional, and it has to be BUTTER!)
entire cloves
Make syrup first so that it can come to room temperature.
In a small saucepan, combine honey, sugar and water.
Bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved.
Add lemon juice and zests and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.
Remove rinds and cinnamon sticks and allow to come to room temperature before using.
Combine second batch of ingredients together in a bowl.
Place filo between sheets of waxed paper and cover with a slightly damp towel to prevent filo from drying out brush bottom and sides of an 18"x12" inch pan generously with melted butter.
Plce 8 filo sheets on bottom of pan, brushing each sheet generously with butter.
Take an additional 4 sheets of filo and place in pan allowing sheets to drape over each of the 4 sides of pan.
Brush these with melted butter.
Pour 2 cups of nut mixture into pan and spread evenly.
Fold over the overlapping filo sheets brushing each with butter, to envelop the nut mixture.
Repeat layering process 2 more times to form 3 nut layers.
Top pastry with remaining filo dough and generously brush top layer with melted butter.
Tuck in the buttered filo neatly around.
Score through top layers of pastry with a sharp knife making 6 strips lengthwise then cut 10 strips diagonally to form diamond shaped pieces.
Stud each diamond-shaped piece (and any odd looking ones near the ends of the pan) in the centre with an entire clove.
Pour remaining melted butter over pastry and lightly sprinkle some water on top too (wet your hand under the tap twice and shake this out over the pastry).
Bake pastry in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour, until nicely golden-brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Carefully spoon cool syrup over pastry allow to stand at least 3 hours or overnight.
Cut through the scored pieces and serve.
2007-01-14 16:42:22
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answer #5
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answered by waterlin 7
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http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-baklava/detail.aspx
http://www.recipezaar.com/126430
being greek ive encluded 2 recipes for you the first is easy and the 2nd is real greek baklava.whatever you choose hope you enjoy it.
2007-01-15 11:53:11
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answer #6
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answered by Jonathan M 5
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Mmmmm.Baklava,çok güzel!!!!You'd better ask tht in the turkish forum as it's a traditional,turkish dessert!!!They may know better as I have no hint at all!Merhaba,Türks!!!
2007-01-16 08:40:42
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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You can ask this in the Turkish section too.
You will receive many good ideas.
2007-01-15 05:01:07
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answer #8
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answered by ngiapapa 4
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