The Australian Women’s Weekly — August 2017

AUGUST 2017FOODTOLOVE.COM.AU 157

FOOD PREPARATION BY ANGELA DEVLIN.

Baklava

MAKES 26 PREP AND COOK TIME1 HOUR

40 MINUTES

250g unsalted butter, melted

3 cups (300g) walnuts

2 cups (280g) shelled pistachios

¼ cup (40g) fine semolina

⅔ cup (150g) caster sugar

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

375g packet fillo pastry

whole cloves

SYRUP

2 cups (440g) caster sugar

¾cup (180ml) water

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced).

Grease a 25cm x 35cm shallow baking

pan with some of the melted butter.

2 Process walnuts, pistachios, semolina,

sugar and cinnamon using the pulse

Pulse nuts, semolina, sugar and

cinnamon until medium-coarse.

Brush a pastry sheet with the

melted butter; repeat layering.

Ease the buttered pastry sheets

into the prepared baking pan.

Press the nut mixture over

the buttered pastry in the pan.

Top the nut mixture in the pan

with another 10 buttered and

layered sheets of pastry.

Cut the Baklava into a diamond

pattern with a sharp knife and

insert a clove into each diamond.

Stir the Syrup ingredients over

medium heat, without boiling,

until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the cooled Syrup over

the hot Baklava and cool

completely before serving.

[ Cooking class]

button until chopped to a medium-coarse

consistency. Transfer the mixture to a

medium bowl. Add ¼ cup (60ml) of the

melted butter to the bowl; mix well.

3 Brush 1 sheet of the pastry generously

with the melted butter; top with 9 more

sheets, brushing each generously with

the melted butter. Place the buttered

pastry into the pan. Spread nut mixture

over pastry (see step images below).

4 Brush and layer another 10 sheets of

pastry with melted butter. Place on top of

nut mixture (below). Trim pastry a little

larger than the dish, then tuck edges into

sides to enclose. Brush top with butter.

5 Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the

Baklava into a diamond pattern to give

about 26 pieces. Insert a clove into the

centre of each diamond (below).

6 Bake Baklava for 1 hour 30 minutes

or until golden brown. Re-cut the

diamond pattern.

7 SYRUP Meanwhile, combine sugar,

water and cinnamon stick in a small

saucepan; stir over medium heat, without

boiling, until sugar dissolves (below).

Bring Syrup to the boil; reduce heat to

medium-low. Simmer, without stirring,

for 6-8 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Stir in the juice.

8 Pour Syrup over hot Baklava (below).

Cool Baklava completely before serving.

Not suitable to freeze or microwave.

Test Kitchen tips

●We used fillo pastry from the

refrigerator section of supermarkets

and delicatessens. You can also

use frozen fillo pastry – follow the

packet instructions to thaw the

pastry before using.

●Stir the melted butter occasionally

during use to evenly distribute the

milk solids.

STEP 2 STEP 3a STEP 3b STEP 3c

STEP 4 STEP 5 STEP 7 STEP 8