Baklavas

Baklavas evoke heaven to me... Nothing below! They are traditionnally flavoured with rose and orange blossom (neroli). You will find thousands of versions on the Web.

Ingredients

For approximately 30 pieces

Baklavas

• 225 g unsalted pistachio nuts (or other nuts)
• 15 ml sugar (white or brown)
• 5 ml Aliksir rose hydrosol
• 2,5 ml Aliksir neroli hydrosol
• ½ pack phyllo dough
• 100 g unsalted butter, melted

Syrup

• 200 ml sugar (white or brown)
• 250 ml water
• 75 ml honey
• 3-5 ml Aliksir rose hydrosol
• 3-5 ml Aliksir neroli hydrosol

Preparation

Watch out: The day before, verify the producer's instructions for thawing the phyllo dough.

1. Butter a rectangular baking pan of about 25 x 20 cm.
2. Coarsely grind the nuts, with a blender, a mortar or a pastry roll. Set half the nuts aside.
3. Finely grind the rest of the nuts. Set a little quantity aside to decorate later.
4. Mix the finely ground nuts with the sugar and the hydrosols. Integrate the coarsely ground nuts. Set aside.
5. Cut the phyllo dough into two rectangles, to fit the size of the pan. Cover the unused sheets with a damp cloth.
6. Spread one sheet at a time in the pan, brushing each one with melted butter. Spread about half the dough in this manner.
7. Spread the nut filling onto the phyllo dough.
8. Place the rest of the phyllo dough on top, brushing each sheet with butter.
9. Precut the baklavas with a sharp knife and sprinkle some ground nuts on top to decorate.
10. Bake at 350°F for one hour or until the dough is golden.
11. In a small stove-top pan, dissolve the sugar in the water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until obtaining a syrupy texture. Remove from heat and blend in the hydrosols.
12. Pour the syrup on the dough. Serve warm or cold.