PHOTOGRAPHYANSONSMARTPORTRAITPHOTOGRAPHYJONATHANLOVEKINSTYLINGSTEVE PEARCETHIS RECIPE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHEDINTHE NEW YORK TIMES.^
WALNUT,CINNAMON
ANDHALOUMIBAKLAVA
MAKES 9 LARGE OR 16 SMALL PIECESFILLING
30gunsaltedbutter,melted
11 / 2 cups(130g)walnuthalves,
roasted,finelychopped into
3mmpieces(^3) / 4 tspgroundcinnamon
(^3) / 4 tspfreshlygratednutmeg
4 tspcastersugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
PASTRYSHEETS
16 sheetsfilopastry,roughly23cmx
23cm(iftheycomein different sizes,
justcutthemaccordingly)
70gunsaltedbutter,melted
140g coarsely grated haloumi
ROSEWATERSYRUP
(^3) / 4 cup(150g)castersugar
2 tbslemonjuice
11 / 2 tbsrosewater
1 tsp edible dried rose petals, to serve
Heatovento240°C.Forthefilling,mix
togetheralltheingredientsandsetaside.
Forthepastrysheets,placeonesheet
ofpastryin a 20cmx 20cmsquarebaking
pan,preferablyonewithlowedges,
arrangingthepastrysothesidesofthe
sheetriseupthesidesofthepan.Brush
witha littlebutterandcontinuein the
samewaywith7 moresheetsofpastry,
brushing each with butter, until you have
layered8 sheetsofpastry.Scatterthe
gratedhaloumiontopofthepastry.
Sprinkleallofthewalnutmixtureover
evenly.Placeanotherlayerofpastryon
top,pressingdownsecurely.Brushwith
morebutterandcontinuewiththe
remaining7 layersofpastryin thesame
way.Brushthefinallayerwithbutterand
useyourfingerstogentlytuckthepastry
edgesunderneaththebaklavasoyouget
aneatedge(a bitlikemakinga bed).
Usinga smallsharpknife,cutthebaklava
into9 or 16 pieces,allowingtheknife
almosttoreachthebottom,butnotquite.
Transfertoovenandbakefor 18 minutes,
turningthepanaroundhalfwaythrough
bakinguntilbaklavais dark golden-brown
andcrispontop.
Meanwhile,fortherosewatersyrup,
heatsugarand^1 / 3 cup(80ml)waterin a
smallsaucepanonmedium-highheatfor
2-3minutes,swirlingeveryoncein a while
untilthesugarhasdissolvedandstarted
toboil.Reducetheheattomedium-low.
Addlemonjuiceandrosewater,and
simmergentlyfor6-7minutesuntilyou
haveabout^3 / 4 cup(180ml)slightly
thickenedsyrupleft.Remove from the
heatandsetaside.
Assoonasthebaklavahasbeen
removedfromtheoven,pourtwo-thirds
ofthesyrupoverit andsprinklewith
rosepetals,crushingthemslightlyas
yougo.Setasidefor5 minutestocool
slightly,andthenserveeachslice
warm,withanextra 1-2 tsp of syrup
drizzled on top.
GOLDEN
LAYERS
YotamOttolenghiprovesthatnothingtopssheetsofpastry
drizzledwithfragrantsyrupandscatteredwithlusciouscheese.
Here’s a classic dessert with a savoury spin from the star chef.
YOTAM OTTOLENGHI.
54 delicious.com.au