PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

Salut mes p’tits croissants!

Today we are making a pistachio baklava! This dessert is pretty easy to make and keeps a while. There is multiple versions of where the dessert comes from, but whether its from the Ottoman empire, Turkey or Persia. I am here to honour it as best as I can

You can do different combination of flavours and use different nuts. I did rose water and pistachio.

I am excited to be cooking this recipe with you, let me know if you end making it. Ok, enough talking. Let’s get cooking, shall we?

Serves 8

Sugar syrup:
350gr (1 3/4 cups) Caster sugar
190gr (3/4 cup) Water
28gr (1 1/2 tbsp) Glucose syrup
1 Whole lemon (squeezed)
1 pinch Salt
15ml (1 tbsp) Rose water

  • In a small pot, add the sugar, water, glucose, lemon juice and salt and place it on the stove on medium high heat. (Stirring occasionally).
  • Take it off the heat when coming to a boil, and stir in the rose water.
  • Transfer to a cup with a spout and let it cool.

Baklava:
340gr (3 cups) Raw unsalted pistachios (keep a 1/4 cup aside for garnish)
500gr/ 2-3 packages or 30 sheets Phyllo pastry
340gr (1 1/2 cup) Unsalted clarified butter

  • In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until finely chopped. Set it aside.
  • Brush a 13×9 baking pan with the clarified butter.
  • Cur the phyllo to size so it fits perfectly in the pan.
  • Cover the sheets with a wet towel so it doesn’t dry out.
  • Brush some clarified butter in the bottom of the pan and place one sheet of phyllo down and brush it with more clarified butter.
  • Repeat the process with 7 more layers (brushing with the clarified butter).
  • Top up with 1 cup of ground pistachios and spread evenly.
  • Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo into the pan. Repeating the same process.Then top up with another cup of pistachios.
  • Repeat with 6 more sheets and top up with the remaining pistachios.
  • Layer the last 10 sheets of phyllo and repeat the process but DO NOT add clarified butter to the top sheet (try to keep the nicest sheets for this step).
  • Compress the layers with your hands, while being gentle and not crush them but making sure they are nice and even, as well as removing any potential air pocket.
  • Cut the baklava into diamonds. Making 5 cuts vertically and 8 diagonally.
  • Brush the remaining butter over the surface, carefully.
  • Bake it at 300F for about 90 min or until golden brown and crispy (rotate the pan 1/2 was through.
  • Pour the rose syrup over the cut lines as soon as you get the baking pan out of the oven.
  • Garnish the centre of each piece with a little pinch of pistachios.
  • Cool to room temperature about 2 hours, then cover with tin foil and let it cool and extra 8 hours. ( You can keep it for about a week).
  • Enjoy and try not to eat everything too fast.
  • Bon appétit.

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