The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TRIPLE NUTTY BAKLAVA
There is nothing austere about this baklava. It’s sweetened with a rich honey syrup, spiced with cloves and brightened with lemon juice and orange extract. Be sure you like the flavor of the honey you’re using, as it will be a very predominant flavor.
Karadsheh suggests storing the baklava in the pan, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature for the first night or two. Then transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen baked baklava in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup cold water
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon orange extract
5 whole cloves
Juice of 1 large lemon
6 ounces shelled pistachios, roasted and chopped (about 1¼ cups), plus extra for garnish
6 ounces walnuts, roasted and
chopped (about 1¼ cups)
6 ounces hazelnuts, roasted and chopped (about 1¼ cups)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 (1-pound) package phyllo
dough, thawed if frozen
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Make the honey syrup: Combine ¾ cup sugar and water in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in the honey, orange extract and whole cloves, then bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let syrup cool, then stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the pistachios, walnuts and hazelnuts. Pulse a few times to finely chop. Transfer to a large bowl and add the cinnamon, ground cloves and remaining ¼ cup sugar. Mix well to combine.
Unroll the phyllo and place sheets on a clean kitchen towel, then cover stack with a second clean kitchen towel.
Brush a 9-by-13-by-2-inch baking pan with some of the melted butter. Take 1 sheet of phyllo and place it in the pan. If the phyllo sheets are larger than your pan, fold them to fit. Brush the top of the phyllo with melted butter. Repeat this process until you have used about one-third of the phyllo. Sprinkle half the nut mixture evenly over the top layer of phyllo. Continue adding sheets of phyllo and brushing each with melted butter until you have used about half of the remaining phyllo sheets. Distribute the remaining nut mixture evenly over the top of that second layer of phyllo.
Finish with the remaining batch of phyllo, following the same process, and after adding the last sheet, brushing the top with remaining melted butter. Use a serrated knife to cut the baklava on the diagonal in both directions so you have 24 diamond-shaped pieces.
Bake the baklava for 30 minutes, until the top turns a light golden brown. As soon as you remove the baklava from the oven, pour the honey syrup all over it. It will make a sizzling sound. Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving to make sure the syrup has been absorbed. Cut again along the diagonal lines before serving. Garnish with chopped pistachios.
Makes 24 pieces.
Per piece: 338 calories (percentage of calories from fat, 53), 5 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 20 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 20 milligrams cholesterol, 123 milligrams sodium.