Ingredients
1 pound (about 22 – 24 sheets) Filo pastry
1 cup of melted butter
For the syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
11/2 cups water
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 small sticks of cinnamon
4-6 whole cloves or
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
For the filling
1 pound blanched almonds, pistachios, walnuts, or any of your favourite nuts, coarsely ground (about 4 cups)
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or cardamom (optional)
Method
For the syrup
• Stir the sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks and cloves (or cardamom) over low heat until the sugar dissolves. This should take about 5 minutes.
• Stop stirring, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture is slightly syrupy.
• Get rid of the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves and let it cool.
Making the baklava
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Mix the filling ingredients.
• Grease the baking tray, place a sheet of Filo in it and brush with butter. Repeat with seven more sheets.
• Spread half the filling on and then top with 8 more sheets, making sure to brush each with melted butter.
• Spread on the remaining filling and end with another top layer of eight sheets.
• Using a sharp knife, make equal lengthwise cuts in the shape of a diamond.
• Sprinkle the top of the pastry with cold water before baking for 20 minutes.
• Reduce the heat slightly (about 300 degrees should do) and bake until golden brown.
Final touches
• Run a knife through the cuts again and drizzle the syrup slowly over the baklava.
• Let it cool for 4 – 6 hours.
• If the baklava seems a bit dry, drizzle with a little heated syrup before serving.
