Resepi Pistacio Baklawa (Baklava)

Pistachio Bakalawa ( Baklava )

Prep time : 20 min

Bake time : 40 min

Cool time : 5 hours

Serves : 4

Ingredients

16 oz (450 grams) roasted (or raw) unsalted pistachios

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 sticks (250 grams) butter

1 cup (300 grams) honey

1/2 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

4 cardamom pods, 10 whole cloves, and 1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

2 tablespoons of orange blossom water (or 1 tablespoon of rose water)

1 pack of phyllo dough

Directions

Step 1: Mixing the Filling* Place the pistachios, white sugar, and ground cinnamon in a food mixer and pulse to chop. Keep the pistachios into small chunks to get a crunchy texture in the baklawa. Note: you can replace the pistachios with blanched almonds, wanuts, etc.

Step 2: Shaping and Baking the Baklawa* Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees (200 C).

*Melt the butter.* 

Brush a baking pan with melted butter then place a sheet of phyllo dough. Brush the phyllo dough with melted butter. Add nother phyllo sheet and brush with melted butter again. Continue until 16 phyllo dough sheets are stacked.

 * Spread evenly the pistachio filling in the center. Note that depending on the size of your baking pan, you many not use all the filling - keep the rest in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge.

* Using scissors, cut the dough hanging from the pan edges, then push the tips towards the center. Brush with melted butter.

* Cover the filling with another 16 sheets of phyllo dough, each brushed with melted butter.

* Cut the hanging edges of dough and tuck in.* Using a sharp knife, cut diagonals in the baklawa pie. * Place the baklawa in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown. 

Step 3: Making the syrup* While the baklawa is baking, prepare the syrup.* In a saucepan, add the honey, sugar, lemon juice, cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and orange blossom water.* Cook the ingredients on medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir from time to time with a wooden spoon.  * Once the sugar is dissolved and the syrup starts bubbling, reduce the heat to low and let the syrup simmer until the baklawa is ready.  

Step 4: Final steps* Remove the baklawa from the oven once done.* Pour the syrup in a jar and remove all the whole spices. The syrup should be warm.

* Pour the syrup in the baklawa immediately after removing it from the oven. Pour just enough syrup to soak the baklawa - the amount of syrup used will depend on the size of the baklawa you are making (width and length of your pan).* Let the bakalwa sit on your kitchen counter, uncovered, for 4 hours until it soaks all the syrup then place it in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

* Serve the baklawa with Moroccan mint tea! Bon Appetit!  

Thanks to cookingwithalia.com