Baklava recipe for dessert

MANILA, Philippines — Baklava is a popular Greek dessert made of layers of phyllo dough o puff pastry with a sweet nut filling usually using pistachio nuts and walnuts.

It is oftentimes attributed to Turkey as well, as the Turkish people also have a very rich and delicious Baklava. The dessert, which combines crunch with sweetness, texture and smooth flavor, is a common dessert not only in Greece and Turkey but also in Iran, the Balkans and a few other Mediterranean and Arabian countries.

It was one of the featured recipes in a cooking class held at The Maya Kitchen to pay homage to the late restaurateur Larry J. Cruz of the LJC Group of Restaurants. Why? Because it happens to be one of LJC’s favorite desserts, which he enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a la mode goodness, and the theme of the cooking class was "A Christmas Dinner Larry Would Love."

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling and wrapping:

120 grams shelled pistachio nuts

120 grams shelled walnuts

50 grams powdered sugar

220 grams unsalted butter, melted

Filo o phyllo pastry sheets

PROCEDURE:

1. Check all the nuts carefully that they have no stones, shells, or any hard objects that may damage teeth. Put nuts in a food processor and grind them to rough-chopped consistency.

2. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and set aside.

3. Open the box of Filo Pastry and slide rolled sheets out carefully from the plastic bag and get one sheet. Keep the remaining sheets under a lightly moistened cloth.

4. Brush filo sheets with melted butter and place another sheet over it and brush again with butter.  Do the same with the third sheet.

5. Like rolling a big cigarette, place the pulverized nuts at the end of one sheet and roll it out.

6. Bake it over medium heat until the color becomes golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over them.

8. Transfer to a serving plate, and serve it with vanilla ice cream.

For the syrup:

2 pcs. oranges, for zest or peeling

5 pcs. cinnamon sticks (depending on size)

3 cups white sugar

4 cups water

PROCEDURE:

1. Place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepan and simmer for about 1 hour or until the syrup is thick and has the aroma of oranges. 

2. Strain