Almond Walnut Baklava Food

ALMOND-WALNUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Combine sugar, water, cinnamon, cloves and honey.
• Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
• Increase heat and boil gently until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.
• Strain into bowl and mix in brandy.
• Cool completely.
• Nut Filling:
• Toast almonds and walnuts and finely chop in processor.
• Transfer to large bowl.
• Mix in cinnamon and breadcrumbs.
• Pastry:
• Butter bottom and sides of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish.
• Unroll stacked phyllo sheets, press folds to smooth, and cut crosswise in half.
• Place 1 sheet of phyllo in bottom of prepared dish (k eep remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and damp towel to prevent drying). Because many brands of phyllo are not long enough to touch both ends of the dish, it may be necessary to stagger sheets to end of dish.
• Brush first sheet with melted butter.
• Top with second phyllo sheet. Brush with melted butter.
• Repeat, using 12 more sheets, buttering each sheet. Sprinkle 3/4 cup nut mixture over.
• Cover with 4 more sheets, buttering each.
• Sprinkle 3/4 cup nut mixture over.
• Cover with 4 more sheets, buttering each.
• Sprinkle 3/4 cup nut mixture over.
• Cover with 4 more sheets, buttering each.
• Sprinkle 3/4 cup nut mixture over.
• Cover with 4 more sheets, buttering each.
• Sprinkle 3/4 cup nut mixture over.
• Top with 18 more sheets, buttering each.
• Brush top sheet generously with butter.
• Cut baklava lengthwise into thirds and make 8 diagonal cuts.
• Top each section with a whole clove. Lightly sprinkle the top with water and bake at 350 degrees in center of oven until pastry is golden brown, about 1 hour.
• Gradually pour syrup over hot baklava and cool completely.

ALMOND BAKLAVA WITH ROSé WATER

Steps:

• Stir 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups water, honey, cinnamon sticks, and orange peel in saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; bring to boil. Remove from heat. Mix in rose water. Chill until cold.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Brush 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan with some of melted butter. Mix almonds, ground cinnamon, allspice, and 1/3 cup sugar in medium bowl.
• Fold 1 sheet of phyllo in half to form 12x9-inch rectangle. Place folded sheet in prepared pan. Brush with melted butter. Repeat with 4 more folded sheets, brushing top of each folded sheet with butter. Sprinkle half of nut mixture over. Top with 1 folded pastry sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more folded sheets, brushing top of each with butter. Sprinkle remaining nut mixture over. Repeat with 5 more folded sheets, brushing top of each with butter. Using sharp knife, make 5 diagonal cuts across phyllo, cutting through top layers only and spacing cuts evenly. Repeat in opposite direction to form diamond pattern. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
• Strain rose syrup. Spoon 1 cup syrup over hot baklava; cover and chill remaining syrup. Recut baklava along lines all the way through layers. Let stand 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Serve baklava with yogurt and remaining syrup.
• Available at Middle Eastern markets and specialty foods stores.

ALMOND BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Syrup:
• Combine ingredients in a microwave-safe container, and cook on high heat 1 minute. Stir and cook 1 more minute. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.
• Baklava:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place almonds in a food processor and process with sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt until almonds are roughly ground.
• Generously brush a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise and stack sheets. Keep stack covered with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened clean kitchen towel. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of baking dish and brush top sheet generously with butter. Add a couple of tablespoons of almond mixture. Continue to layer 2 sheets at a time, staggering sheets in each double layer slightly to cover bottom of dish, brushing every second sheet generously with butter and add 1 cup of the almond mixture, until 10 sheets of phyllo have been used, total. Brush top layer of phyllo with butter. Let baklava stand at room temperature to harden slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into 6 equal squares, then cut each piece in half diagonally to make 12 triangles. Be sure to cut all the way through.
• Bake baklava until golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer dish to a rack to cool, then slowly pour cold syrup around edges of hot baklava, in between all cuts, and over top. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours. Cover when baklava is at room temperature. Do not chill.
• Baklava keeps in an air-tight container up to 1 week.

CINNAMON-WALNUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups sugar, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until sugar dissolves and mixture is syrupy, about 10 minutes. Set syrup aside.
• In a food processor, pulse walnuts with cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until finely ground. Set walnut filling aside.
• Place stack of thawed phyllo sheets on a work surface. Using a sharp knife, trim stack into a 13-by-9-inch rectangle; discard trimmings. Place 1 sheet of trimmed phyllo in prepared baking dish (keep remaining sheets covered with a damp cloth or paper towel). Brush gently with butter; repeat with two more sheets of phyllo, laying each on top of the other. (You now have a 3-sheet stack of buttered phyllo.)
• Sprinkle phyllo stack in dish with 1/3 cup walnut filling. Repeat with 7 more buttered phyllo stacks, sprinkling each with walnut filling. Top with one more stack; brush generously with butter.
• Using a sharp knife, cut unbaked baklava into 24 squares. Bake until puffed and golden, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack; pour syrup over baklava. Let stand at room temperature until syrup is absorbed, at least 3 hours.

HAZELNUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse together skinned hazelnuts, almonds, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt until finely ground.
• On a large surface, unfold phyllo dough, removing plastic wrapping. With a sharp knife, slice dough in half crosswise, forming two 9-by-12-inch rectangles. Cover entirely with one or two damp dishcloths.
• With a pastry brush, generously brush bottom of a 9-by-12-inch baking pan with clarified butter. Carefully place one phyllo sheet in pan (it should just fit) and brush with butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter. Keep unused phyllo covered as you work. Sprinkle about 1/3 of nut and sugar mixture evenly over top layer. Repeat layering process with phyllo, continuing to brush each sheet with butter, until you have stacked on 6 more sheets. Sprinkle another 1/3 of nut and sugar mixture evenly over top layer. Repeat layering process with phyllo and melted butter, using another 8 phyllo sheets. Sprinkle final 1/3 of nut and sugar mixture over phyllo. Cover with two more sheets of phyllo, leaving top layer unbuttered.
• Placing your palms in center of top layer, gently move your hands in an outward, sweeping motion, flattening and smoothing top of pastry. Brush an additional 1/4 cup melted butter evenly over top layer.
• Using a sharp pointed knife, carefully slice baklava into 2-inch-thick diagonal strips. Repeat in opposite direction, forming a diamond pattern. Bake baklava until golden and flaky, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating pan as necessary to ensure even baking.
• Meanwhile, in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine honey syrup ingredients with 3/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until sugar has completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer syrup to a bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until cool. Once cooled, strain mixture into a liquid measuring cup with a spout.
• While baklava is still very hot, pour cooled syrup into cracks between diamond-shaped pieces, reserving about 3 tablespoons syrup. Drizzle reserved syrup evenly over top of baklava. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours, then cover with foil and let sit at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

ALMOND PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups sugar, water, honey and lemon juice to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Cool., Preheat oven to 350°. Working in batches, combine pistachios and almonds in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining sugar; set aside. Brush a 15x10x1-in. baking pan with some of the butter. Unroll one package of phyllo dough; cut stack into a 10-1/2x9-in. rectangle. Repeat with remaining phyllo. Discard scraps., Line bottom of prepared pan with two sheets of phyllo dough (sheets will overlap slightly). Brush with butter. Repeat layers 9 times. (Keep dough covered with a damp towel until ready to use to prevent it from drying out.) Sprinkle with a third of the nut mixture. , Top with 10 layers of buttered phyllo dough and a third of the nut mixture; repeat layers. Top with remaining phyllo dough, buttering each layer. , Using a sharp knife, cut into 1-1/2-in. diamond shapes. Bake until golden brown, 40-45 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack. Slowly pour cooled sugar syrup over baklava. Cover and let stand overnight.

WALNUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Grease a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish with some of the melted butter. Unroll phyllo dough sheets (keep dough covered with plastic wrap while assembling). , Place one sheet of phyllo in baking dish; brush with butter. Top with a second sheet; brush with butter. Fold long ends under to fit the dish. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup nut mixture. Repeat 18 times, layering two sheets, brushing with butter and sprinkling with nut mixture. Top with remaining dough; brush with butter. Cut into 2-in. diamonds with a sharp knife. , Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Pour over warm baklava. Cool on a wire rack.

PISTACHIO AND ALMOND BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough overnight in the fridge, then bring it up to room temperature by setting it on the counter for 1-2 hours.
• Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish so you have approximately 40 sheets. (I use a 9x13) Cover with a damp towel. Make sure you keep the dough covered as you work with each sheet to keep from drying out and become brittle.
• In a saucepan on medium-high heat, combine sugar, honey, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, ground cardamom or pod, orange strips and water. Bring to a boil stirring until sugar is dissolved, then reduce heat and let it simmer for 2-3 minute Remove from heat, let it steep for 10 minutes then strain into a measuring cup or bowl and let syrup cool while preparing baklava.
• Butter a 9x13 pan or any other pan you are using. I clarify my butter for this recipe which is just a personal preference. Melt your butter, let it sit for 5-10 minutes, skim the foam off the top and carefully pour off the clear liquid gold off the milk solids on the bottom. Easy peasy. .
• Chop your nuts either with a knife or by pulsing 10-15 times in a food processor until coarsley ground and put in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and cardamom and stir together. Reserve about 1/4 cup for decorating later.
• Time to start layering and buttering! Depending on your sheet count you need to calculate how many sheets per layer. The number of phyllo versus nut layers are up to you but it's important to have a decent base to hold your nut layers so take that into consideration when calculating.
• For 4 layers of nuts use 1 cup per layer, for 5 layers of nuts use 3/4 cups per layer. Your base should be at least have 8-10 sheets of phyllo. Here's my breakdown for 36-40 sheets of phyllo.
• 8-10 sheets for the base.
• Nuts.
• 4-5 Sheets.
• Nuts.
• 4-5 Sheets.
• Nuts.
• 4-5 Sheets.
• Nuts.
• 4-5 Sheets.
• Nuts.
• 8-10 Sheets.
• Each phyllo sheet needs to be brushed liberally (but not dripping) with butter in the pan before laying the next sheet on top . (Tip: I drizzle butter all over each sheet then brush. I find it makes it easier).
• Chill the baklava for 30-45 minutes as it will make cutting it much easier. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and have the lowest rack in the middle and the second one 2 rungs above that one.
• Cut your baklava into square or diamond shapes. Some people only score the top but I cut right through.
• Total baking time is 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place you pan on the lowest rack for the first 45 minutes, turning the pan half way through. Move it to the higher rack for the last 30 minutes or until golden brown all over.
• Have your cooling rack and syrup ready because you'll be pouring the syrup the second it comes out of the oven. The cooling rack is important as the air circulation underneath as it cools prevents the bottom from getting soggy.
• Take your baklava out of the oven and immediately drizzle or spoon all the syrup all over the top. You'll hear it sizzle but this is a good thing. Put a little mound of the reserved nuts on each diamond.
• Let it sit for at least 8 hours or overnight so all the syrup soaks inches It can be kept on the counter with a tea towel over it or in an air tight container for about a week, but really.who has a pan of baklava last a week!

BAKLAVA PINWHEEL COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and beat until well incorporated. Shape dough into a disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm enough to roll.
• Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. In a small saucepan, heat honey and cinnamon over medium heat, stirring until honey has liquefied and cinnamon is incorporated. Add walnuts and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Remove dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 13x10-inch rectangle. Using a butter knife, spread honey-walnut mixture evenly over the dough to within 1/2-inch from the edges.
• Starting with the long side, tightly roll the dough, jelly-roll style, to form a log. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
• Unwrap dough and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices, cut-side down, 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges begin to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove baking sheets to a cooling rack and let cookies cool completely.