Pistachio Walnut Baklava
Baklava has always been one of those desserts that I assumed was daunting to make. From getting the right nut consistency, to making the syrup taste just right, and most importantly, praying the phyllo dough doesn’t tear on you. Let’s not get started on the butter. If you’re too slow with the process, the butter will harden before you know it.
But alas, I decided to finally try making baklava. The first one (and I like to argue my best one), was a walnut baklava. The recipe had two of my favorite things: walnut + cinnamon. But after scrolling through Instagram one day, I saw a pistachio version. My husband loves pistachios so I decided to combine our favorites and make a walnut pistachio baklava.
The syrup I made was taken from the initial recipe (https://natashaskitchen.com/baklava-recipe/) I used as the ingredients are more of what I’m used to flavor wise while the baklava was taken from another recipe(https://cleobuttera.com/middle-eastern/pistachio-baklava/). I think if I had chosen to improvise a bit, I would have added some cinnamon. This particular recipe asked for 30 sheets. But when I made my first one, I had about 45 and I have to say that one was much better.
All in all, my husband loved it so that’s all that matters but personally I think I will stick to eating walnut based baklavas.
Ingredients for Syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup honey
Directions for Syrup:
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup honey, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat to med/low and boil additional 4 min without stirring. Remove from heat and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
Ingredients for Baklava:
1 1/2 cups shelled, raw unsalted pistachios; 1 1/2 cup of walnuts
1 package phyllo dough, a total of 30 sheets thawed (you may need a second one for extra)
1 1/8 cup melted ghee (I used ghee for the first time and although it was easier to work with, I prefer butter)
Directions for Baklava:
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300F.
2. Pulse pistachios and walnuts in food processor until very finely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses; transfer to the same bowl and mix.
3. Brush a 13X9-inch baking pan with ghee or clarified butter. Unwrap and unfold phyllo on a large cutting board and smooth out with hands to flatten. Using the pan as a guide, adjust the size of the phyllo by cutting off excess to fit perfectly into the pan. Cover phyllo with plastic wrap, then top with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying. (super important!!)
4. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared pan and brush with the ghee or clarified butter until completely coated. Layer 7 more sheets of phyllo into the pan, brushing each sheet with more ghee/butter. You should now have a total of 8 layers of phyllo. Top with 1 cup of the ground pistachios + walnuts and spread evenly.
5. Layer 6 more sheets of phyllo into the pan, brushing each layer with more ghee, then top with another 1 cup of pistachios + walnuts. Repeat with 6 more sheets of phyllo, more ghee/butter, and the remaining cup of pistachios + walnuts.
6. Layer the remaining 10 sheets of phyllo into the pan using the nicest, most intact sheets, brushing each layer, except the final layer, with more ghee. Working from the center outward, use the palm of your hands to compress the layers and press out any air pockets. Use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into diamonds; 5 cuts vertically and about 8 cuts diagonally. Brush the remaining ghee (which should be around 4 tablespoons) over the surface.
7. Bake the baklava until golden and crisp, about 1 1/2 rotating the pan halfway through baking.
8. Immediately after removing the baklava from oven, pour the cooled syrup over cut lines until about 2 tablespoons remain (syrup will sizzle when it hits hot pan); drizzle remaining syrup over the surface.
9. Cool to room temperature on wire rack.
10. Make yourself your favorite cup of coffee or tea and enjoy!
