Citrus Baklava Recipe Natashas Kitchen

BAKLAVA CUPS RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat Oven to 350˚F. In a small saucepan, combine syrup ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/3 cup water and 1/4 cup honey. Bring to a boil over med/high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves then reduce heat and keep at a light boil for 4 min without stirring. Remove syrup from heat and let cool at room temperature while prepping baklava cups.
• In a food processor, pulse together 2 cups nuts to coarsely chop. Transfer to medium mixing bowl and stir in 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Add 3 Tbsp melted butter and stir to combine.
• Arrange 30 mini phyllo cups on rimmed baking sheet and divide nut mixture between the cups (about 2 tsp per cup), patting down the tops with your fingers. Bake 10 min at 350˚F.
• Once out of the oven, immediately spoon cooled syrup over nuts, adding 1 tsp to each one to let the syrup soak in then repeat with another 1/2 teaspoon of syrup until all syrup is used up. Let rest at room temperature for 6 hrs or overnight for flavors to meld and cups to soften. Serve as is or drizzled with chocolate.

BAKLAVA RECIPE

Steps:

• Thaw phyllo dough by package instructions (this is best done overnight in the fridge, then place it on the counter for 1 hr before starting your recipe to bring it to room temp).
• Trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. My phyllo package had 2 rolls with a total of 40 sheets that measured 9x14 so I had to trim them slightly. You can trim one stack at a time then cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 13x9 non-stick baking pan.
• 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.
• Pulse walnuts 10 times in a food process or until coarsely ground/ finely chopped. In a medium bowl, stir together: 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and 1 tsp cinnamon.
• Place 10 phyllo sheets into baking pan one at a time, brushing each sheet with butter once it's in the pan before adding the next (i.e. place phyllo sheet into pan, brush the top with butter, place next phyllo sheet in pan, butter the top, etc. etc.). Keep remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about 1/5 of nut mixture (about 3/4 cup) over phyllo dough.
• Add 5 buttered sheets of phyllo, then another layer of nuts. Repeat x 4. Finish off with 10 layers of buttered phyllo sheets. Brush the very top with butter.
• Cut pastry into 1 1/2" wide strips, then cut diagonally to form diamond shapes. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 min or until tops are golden brown.
• Remove from oven and immediately spoon cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava (you'll hear it sizzle). This will ensure that it stays crisp rather than soggy. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp. For best results, let baklava sit 4-6 hours or overnight at room temperature for the syrup to penetrate and soften the layers. Garnish baklava with finely chopped nuts or drizzle with melted chocolate. Store at room temp, covered with a tea towel for 1 to 2 weeks.

CITRUS BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preparation:.
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Unroll the first roll of phyllo pastry sheets. Lay two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the pan. Lightly brush the top layer with melted butter. Add two more sheets and brush the top with butter. Continue adding sheets two at a time until you've laid down a total of 18. (You may want to keep the pastry covered with a damp paper towel prevent them from drying out.).
• Distribute with a spoon half the nut mixture evenly across the top layer of phyllo. Add four more sheets, two at a time as before on top of the nut mixture. Spoon the remainder of the nut mixture on top of that.
• Continue building the baklava with the remaining phyllo sheets, two at a time, brushing the top of each pair with melted butter. Drizzle any remaining butter over the top.
• With a sharp knife, make five lengthwise cuts, cutting through only the top layers. Do not cut through the nut mixture. Make a series of diagonal cuts to form diamonds, again cutting only through the top layers. Bake at 400*F. for 15 minutes, then at 300*F. for 40 minutes until golden.
• While the baklava is baking, make the syrup:.
• Combine the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil gently for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, and let simmer until syrup begins to thicken. Set aside to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick.
• Pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. With a sharp knife, cut the baklava along the scoring marks, slicing through to the bottom. This dish is best if made the day before you serve it. Enjoy!