Balaboosta's Baklava

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Quentin Bacon

It seems that everyone who loves baklava has their own way to make it, and theirs just happens to be the best. Chef Einat Admony might have an actual claim to the title. She shares her mother's recipe in Balaboosta: Bold Mediterranean Recipes To Feed The People You Love, calling for peanuts, pistachios and walnuts as filling, and rosewater syrup to pour over. The result is crisp, layered, and not too sweet.

Tips & Tweaks: If you don't have a pastry brush, get one before attempting to smear liquid fat over paper-thin sheets of pastry. It makes the process that much faster and easier, we promise. Also, the more butter you use, the better. Dry phyllo = burnt phyllo.

Excerpted from Balaboosta by Einat Admony (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2013. Photographs by Quentin Bacon.

Recipe Details

Balaboosta's Baklava

Active 40 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 28 pieces

Ingredients

Rose Syrup:

  • 1 cup water

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • One 3-inch strip orange zest

  • 1 cardamom pod

  • 1/4 teaspoon rose water

Baklava:

  • 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

  • 8 ounces raw unsalted peanuts (about 8 ounces)

  • 2 cups pistachios (about 8 ounces)

  • 2 cups walnuts (about 8 ounces)

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

  • 1 teaspoon rose water

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom (seeds from about 2 pods)

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • One 16-ounce package frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Directions

  1. For the Syrup: Combine the water, sugar, honey, orange zest, and cardamom pod in a medium saucepan. Simmer over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat, stir in the rose water, and then discard the orange zest and cardamom pod. Transfer the syrup to an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator. The syrup can be made 1 day in advance.

  2. For the Baklava: Line a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

  3. Stir together the butter and oil in a large bowl. Keep it close to your work area.

  4. Combine the nuts, powdered sugar, rose water, cardamom, and cinnamon in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and almost pasty.

  5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  6. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the lined baking sheet. (Keep the unused sheets of phyllo covered with a damp towel as you work.) Trim off the ends if necessary or simply fold it over to fit the tray. Generously, and I mean generously, brush the top of the phyllo dough with the butter mixture. Place another single layer on top and brush it again. Repeat the process until you have 8 layers of buttery phyllo dough.

  7. Spread the entire nut mixture on top and firmly pack it down. Place another single layer of phyllo dough on top and brush it with the butter mixture. Repeat the process until you have another 8 layers with the top layer brushed generously.

  8. Cut the baklava into small diamonds or squares about 2 inches square using a very sharp knife. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on top and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

  9. To Serve: Remove from the oven and immediately pour the chilled rose syrup over the baklava, allowing the syrup to flow into all the crevices. Let it cool completely before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
315 Calories
19g Fat
32g Carbs
6g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 28
Amount per serving
Calories 315
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 25%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 115mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 32g 12%
Dietary Fiber 2g 9%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg 2%
Calcium 25mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 184mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)