STICKY ORANGE, WALNUT AND GINGER BAKLAVA

Preparation time 20 mins Cooking time 50 mins Serves 12 300g walnuts Finely grated zest of 2 oranges 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground ginger 125g packet glace ginger,

finely chopped

50g honey

Pinch fine sea-salt flakes 200g unsalted butter, melted 11/2 x 375g packets filo pastry 2/3 cup water

11/2 cups raw caster sugar Juice of 1 orange

STEP 1 Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced (180°C conventional). Put walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (don’t blend into a paste as you want to keep the texture). Put in a bowl and stir in zest, spices, glace ginger, honey and salt.

STEP 2 Brush a little melted butter over base of a 20 x 30cm baking dish. Halve or trim filo sheets to fit, then layer half of the filo in base, brushing each sheet with melted butter as you stack – about 10-12 layers in total.

STEP 3 Sprinkle over nut mixture and gently smooth surface with a spatula so it reaches edges. Layer remaining filo over nut mixture, brushing each sheet with melted butter as you stack. Brush remaining butter over top.

STEP 4 Score squares or a diamond pattern into pastry using a sharp knife, then chill for 10 minutes to firm up. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until deeply golden and crispy on top.

STEP 5 Meanwhile, put water, caster sugar and orange juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until sugar dissolves and mixture is a light syrup. Remove from heat. When baklava is cooked, immediately pour over warm syrup. Cool to room temperature (this will allow baklava to absorb the syrup), then cut along the scored lines. Serve.