Baklava is a type of dessert found in the Middle East and Mediterranean that dates as far back as the Ottoman Empire. It is also found in parts of Asia. This dessert is a type of pastry that is incredibly rich and also very sweet. It is often served in very small portions, which could be due to how rich and intense the flavor is.
It is essentially made up of multiple layers of filo pastry with a filling of honey or syrup and also chopped nuts. Though it is prepared in a large pan, it is cut up into much smaller bite-sized portions in different shapes prior to baking. The most common shapes for it are triangles, rectangles or parallelograms.
It is made by laying down many phyllo dough layers in a baking pan. Each layer is coated with melted butter. The chopped nut filling is placed in between the bottom set of layers and the top set of layers. The filling can be made using walnuts, pistachios or even hazelnuts and almonds. The pastry is finished with top layers of more dough.
The cooked pastry is then covered with a very sweet flavored syrup. This syrup can be made of a number of ingredients, commonly honey and sometimes rosewater or other extracts. Turkish areas further amplify this dessert by eating it with ice cream of a milk cream flavor during the summer months, or a preparation named 'kaymak'.
Across the Middle East and Mediterranean, various countries prepare this dessert differently, using specific methods or ingredients. One reason for these difference could be for religious purposes. For example, the Greeks prepare the dessert with 33 pastry layers to correspond with the 33 years of Jesus' life.
Paklava is the name given to the dessert in Armenia. In this country, cloves and cinnamon are a part of the recipe. In the country of Georgia, vanilla and sour cream are two other ingredients that can be found. In Albania, the dough of the dessert can be made using egg yolks. While the dessert is quite rich in the Middle East, it tastes much lighter in Iran.
Phyllo dough can be purchased in most grocery stores, in the frozen section. The recipe for this dessert undoubtedly varies, but it is not difficult to make at all. Place two sheets of dough in a buttered pan and butter them thoroughly. Repeat this process of layering and buttering until eight sheets have been layered. Sprinkle about three tablespoons of chopped nuts tossed with a teaspoon of cinnamon over the layers. Continue to top with two more sheets of dough, butter and then more nuts.
Finish the pastry with six to eight layers of dough on top. Cut into diamonds and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for fifty minutes. To make the syrup, boil together a cup of water and a cup of white sugar. Add to the mixture one teaspoon of vanilla extract and also a half cup of honey. Let it simmer for twenty minutes then pour over the pastry as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve at room temperature.
It is essentially made up of multiple layers of filo pastry with a filling of honey or syrup and also chopped nuts. Though it is prepared in a large pan, it is cut up into much smaller bite-sized portions in different shapes prior to baking. The most common shapes for it are triangles, rectangles or parallelograms.
It is made by laying down many phyllo dough layers in a baking pan. Each layer is coated with melted butter. The chopped nut filling is placed in between the bottom set of layers and the top set of layers. The filling can be made using walnuts, pistachios or even hazelnuts and almonds. The pastry is finished with top layers of more dough.
The cooked pastry is then covered with a very sweet flavored syrup. This syrup can be made of a number of ingredients, commonly honey and sometimes rosewater or other extracts. Turkish areas further amplify this dessert by eating it with ice cream of a milk cream flavor during the summer months, or a preparation named 'kaymak'.
Across the Middle East and Mediterranean, various countries prepare this dessert differently, using specific methods or ingredients. One reason for these difference could be for religious purposes. For example, the Greeks prepare the dessert with 33 pastry layers to correspond with the 33 years of Jesus' life.
Paklava is the name given to the dessert in Armenia. In this country, cloves and cinnamon are a part of the recipe. In the country of Georgia, vanilla and sour cream are two other ingredients that can be found. In Albania, the dough of the dessert can be made using egg yolks. While the dessert is quite rich in the Middle East, it tastes much lighter in Iran.
Phyllo dough can be purchased in most grocery stores, in the frozen section. The recipe for this dessert undoubtedly varies, but it is not difficult to make at all. Place two sheets of dough in a buttered pan and butter them thoroughly. Repeat this process of layering and buttering until eight sheets have been layered. Sprinkle about three tablespoons of chopped nuts tossed with a teaspoon of cinnamon over the layers. Continue to top with two more sheets of dough, butter and then more nuts.
Finish the pastry with six to eight layers of dough on top. Cut into diamonds and bake in a preheated oven at 350 F for fifty minutes. To make the syrup, boil together a cup of water and a cup of white sugar. Add to the mixture one teaspoon of vanilla extract and also a half cup of honey. Let it simmer for twenty minutes then pour over the pastry as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve at room temperature.
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