Baklava

If you have ever visited Greece or Turkey you have probably seen or eaten Baklava.

Baklava is a rich sweet dessert made from filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey, it looks very impressive but is a lot easier to make than it looks.

Ingredients

225g sugar
225g honey
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp rose water
450g filo pastry
225g unsalted butter
125ml olive oil
175g pistachios
175g hazelnuts, toasted
175g almonds
175g walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 190C / 375F / gas 5

Make the syrup by dissolving the sugar and honey in 300ml boiling water, boil for 10 minutes and add the lemon juice, zest and rose water, remove from the heat and cool.

Melt the butter in a saucepan stir in the oil and allow to cool.  Brush a rectangular roasting tin with some of the butter oil mixture then cover the base and sides of the tin with a double layer of pastry, overlapping the edges.  Brush the pastry all over with the butter and oil mix and add another double layer of pastry, repeat once more to make a third layer.

Put the nuts into the pastry and fold over all the edges, cover the nuts with the rest of the pastry brushing each sheet of filo, including the top one, with the butter mixture.

Cut the Baklava, using a sharp knife, into diamond shapes.

Bake for 20 minutes then lower the heat to 170C / 325F / gas 3 and bake for a further 20 minutes.

Remove the Baklava from the oven, pour over the syrup and leave to cool.