Beautiful
blue shutters adorn the lovely white-washed walls and they're also displayed on the hotel window from the island of Crete. For more beautiful blues, visit
Blue Monday
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| Homemade Baklava |
It was my turn to bring some sweets for our ladies Wed. morning Bible study.
A very popular Phyllo
Pastry served for dessert is known as Baklava, pronounced bahk-lah-VAH.
Commonly called the aristocrat of pastry desserts, it is of Byzantine origin,
made in all countries of the Near East, and each one claims it for its own. In
fact I would even say that each Greek Family has their variation of the recipe.
Although Baklava is a
dessert, Greeks refer to it as “sweets” and generally would not eat Baklava
after a meal as perhaps other western countries would. I remember many times
seeing my mother serve Greek coffee and Baklava during the day especially when
a visitor arrived.
Now the history of Baklava
is not well documented but it can be traced back to the 12th century. This
sweet dessert was popular in Syria and Lebanon and then adopted by the Turks.
My thinking is that the nuts and honey mixture was combined with ground sesame
seeds to make a type of halva because phyllo dough was not available back then.
Phyllo dough was
introduced in the kitchens of the palace and the Greeks' major contribution to
the development of this pastry is the creation of a dough technique that made
it possible to roll it as thin as a leaf, compared to the rough, bread-like
texture of the Assyrian dough. In fact, the word phyllo, coined by the Greeks,
means "leaf" in the Greek language.
In Bosnia-Herzegovina
baklava is generally rich in nuts and filling and is only eaten on special
occasions, mostly during in the holy months of Ramadan and Eid.
In Iran, a drier version
of Baklava is cooked and presented in smaller diamond-shaped cuts flavored with
rose water.
In Afghanistan and Cyprus,
baklava is prepared into triangle-shaped pieces and is lightly covered in
crushed pistachio nuts.
Perhaps you are one of
many that recognizes this fabulous pastry by its layers of nuts and many sheets
of filo, of which you will need twenty to forty of them to make this fabulous
pastry. This unique dessert is usually bathed in syrup, flavored with rose and
brandy.
It’s no surprise to see
Greeks using nuts in their dessert since almonds, walnuts, pistachios and
hazelnuts grow in abundance there.
Baklava has many health
benefits as a pastry, it's not just full of empty calories like so many other
desserts. Nuts are
filled with nutrition, and they're naturally cholesterol free. Although nuts are high in fat, the fat
is mostly unsaturated fat which has a beneficial effect on health. Honey consumption raises antioxidant
levels.
* Various studies have shown that both walnuts
and almonds have a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol levels.
* Walnuts in particular (followed by pecans and
hazelnuts/filberts), are high in Omega-3 fatty acids that are good for
you. This fat has been shown to reduce
the risk of heart disease.
* Nuts are an excellent source of dietary fiber,
magnesium, copper, folic acid, and vitamin E.
* Phyllo pastry has no trans fat, saturated fat
or cholesterol and is low in calories.
* Baklava has a remarkable shelf-life and can
last for many months depending on how you store the pastries.
Baklava is a spectacular
dessert with simple ingredients.
Honeyed walnuts, however, make it absolutely delicious. Baklava is quite
easy to make and suitable for a large gathering. My father would add that you need
a master to handle the ready-made paper-thin Greek phyllo pastry. I’ll be sure
and let you in on my father’s tips. He has some good ones!
1 pound of phyllo pastry
3 cups chopped walnuts (or
more). You can use pecans, almonds, pistachios or any combination but I prefer
walnuts.
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 pound melted sweet
butter or salted butter
Whole Cloves
3 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup honey or 2
teaspoons rose or brandy flavoring. I just use honey.
Some add 1 large cinnamon
stick. I don’t because I prefer to put whole cloves in between the cut diamond
squares that will be removed later.
Defrost frozen filo to
room temperature.
- Tip #1 from Nick the
Greek:
Keep it covered with a
damp-cloth as it dries out quickly.
Mix all the filling
ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter and keep it in the pan to
reheat if it cools and doesn’t flow easily while you are working with the filo.
Use pastry brush to oil generously the bottom and sides of a large rectangular
baking pan (approximately 13 in x 9 in).
Place 5-6 sheets of filo
in the pan and sprinkle lightly with warm butter. Place another sheet of filo
on top of the first sheet, and brush each layer lightly with melted butter.
Fold in excess length of each sheet at alternative ends. Some use a scissors
and cut away the excess filo dough but I don’t because it isn’t an exact
science and you can’t do anything wrong at this point.
- Tip #2 from Nick the Greek
Instead of a pastry brush,
my father uses a squirt bottle to spray the layers with.
Continue until you have
spread 6 or more sheets. Spread half of the filing, including the corners.
Cover with 6 or more sheets of filo remaining sheets, oiling between each one.
Roll edges and tuck with remaining butter. Before baking, cut through the top
layers only, into the traditional diamond shapes. Use a small sharp knife with
a ruler to guide you if you want. We do this in order to facilitate serving
once it has been cooked.
To Make Diamond-Shaped
Pieces:
Make vertical cuts, 1 inch
apart. Turn pan horizontally and make cuts at an angle, 1 inch apart. Stick a
whole clove in the center of each diamond. Besides adding flavor, it keeps the
layers together. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check it
during the last 20 minutes to see if it is browning evenly.
Begin boiling the syrup
except for the honey for 10 minutes before taking the baklava immediately out
of the oven. Add honey and simmer for another 5 minutes until slightly
thickened. You never really want to boil honey because it changes the flavor
immensely.
Pour hot syrup over hot
baklava immediately after removing it from the oven. Use ladle or large spoon
to distribute syrup evenly over all of it. Set aside to cool, at room
temperature, not in the refrigerator. Keep in pan overnight or at least 4 hours
before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
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| Baklava on Fire |
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| Cross Process CP4 |
Blessings,
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis
