ADDAMS FAMILY FUN
COUSIN ITT BAKLAVA
INGREDIENTS:
(Makes 4) 200g shelled pistachios, chopped; 1tsp ground cinnamon; Pinch of ground cloves; 450g kataifi dough, thawed; 4tbsp butter or vegan spread, melted. For the syrup: 300ml water; 450g granulated sugar; Peel of ½ clementine; 1 cinnamon stick.
To decorate: Small amount of shortbread or gingerbread dough; Boiled sweets, crushed; Black fondant icing.
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan [375˚F/gas mark 5] and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Pulse the pistachios, cinnamon and cloves in a food processor a few times to combine all the ingredients. Do not over-process.
3. Make sure the kataifi dough is completely thawed out before you start. Unroll it and divide it into four 25cm portions.
4. Take one and pull the strands apart to make them fluffy, then brush a little melted butter onto one half of the portion. Spoon one-quarter of the pistachio mixture on the bottom portion and fold the other half over. Shape with your hands to get a rough cone-like structure.
5. Repeat the process with the rest of the pastry, then place all four Cousin Itts on the prepared baking tray. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is crispy.
6. For the syrup, heat the water, sugar, clementine peel and cinnamon stick together in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the sugar dissolves, simmer for three to four minutes.
7. When the pastries are ready, remove from the oven and ladle the syrup over the top of each one.
Cut out the glasses from the gingerbread dough, using a small (around 2.5cm) round cutter if you have it, and a slightly smaller one to take out an inner circle. Make four sets of glasses frames. Place the glasses frames on a lined baking tray, then fill the inner circle with crushed boiled sweets and bake in the oven for seven minutes or until the sweets melt to form ‘glass’.
8. Mould four bowler hats by hand using black fondant icing.
9. To attach the glasses, melt down some more of the crushed boiled sweets in the oven and then use them as glue.