Almond Baklava Recipes

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 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.

GREEK BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
• Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
• Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
• Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

ALMOND FIG BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 175°C degrees (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven).
• Mix together the chopped figs, almonds. and cinnamon.
• You can use a 20×30 cm pan, brush some butter on the bottom and sides of pan to prevent sticking.
• Lay down a sheet of phyllo dough and brush with butter and water mixture (use the 60 ml water only if like soft baklava), repeat until you have layered 8 sheets.
• Sprinkle some of the fig and almond mixture over layers of dough.
• Repeat both steps until you run out of ingredients. Cover with 2 layers of dough.
• Cut into desired shapes (yes you are cutting before you bake).
• Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, until top is nicely browned.
• When baklava is done, remove pan from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for 2 hours.
• Make the sauce by boiling 1/2 cup water and adding 1/2 cup sugar, stir until sugar is dissolved, add honey, and vanilla or orange peel.
• Pour the hot syrup evenly over the top of the baklava (remove the orange peel before), allowing it to run into the cuts and around the edges of the pan. Allow the pan to sit, uncovered until completely cool.
• Cover and store at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to overnight before serving.

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.