Baklava

This decadent Greek desert is easy to make but hard to resist. The nice thing about this recipe is that is it vegan, so is a perfect treat for anyone you know during Orthodox Lent, or who happens to be a vegan – that is of course if you substitute the cup of butter with margarine but that’s admittedly an extreme measure for times of intense need. I personally am not a fan of margarine because, as my daughter likes to point out, it’s just one process away from being plastic. So I only make vegan Baklava if I need to for special dinner party guests but not for normal times.

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. package of frozen phyllo dough
  • 16 oz. roasted Pistachios – chopped
  • 8 oz. butter – or margarine if going vegan
  • 8 oz water
  • 4 oz. raw honey
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Process

  1. Mise en Place – measure and prepare your ingredients prior to starting.
  2. Thaw phyllo in fridge in packaging at least 14 hours prior to starting.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degs F (175 C).
  4. Grease the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan.
  5. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon, then set aside.
  6. Prepare Baklava
    1. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit pan.
    2. Cover top and bottom of phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work.
    3. Place two sheets of dough in pan and butter thoroughly.
    4. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered.
    5. Sprinkle 3 TBL of nut mixture on top.
    6. Repeat topping with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go.
    7. The final top layer should be about 6 – 8 sheets deep.
  7. Bake Baklava
    1. Using a sharp knife cut diamond or square shapes (4 rows wide) all the way to the bottom of the pan.
    2. Bake ~50 mins until baklava is golden and crisp.
  8. Make Sauce
    1. While baklava bakes, boil sugar and water until sugar is melted.
    2. Add vanilla and honey.
    3. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
  9. Finish Baklava
    1. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it.
    2. Let cool.
    3. To prepare individual servings for later, put each piece in cupcake papers.
    4. Baklava freezes well but leave it uncovered until frozen or it will get soggy. Once frozen, wrap in film but remove film when thawing to prevent it from getting soggy.
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