Baclava

One of several variations of this Greek pastry given to me by a friend: Catie McIntyre Walker “I took a night cooking class at Mt. Hood CC in Portland taught by a couple of Lebanese women. This was about 1976 or so. We were making and eating hummus, pita bread, tabouli, tzatziki, kofta and baklava before it was ’cool’.”

ingredients

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
Couple drops of fresh lemon juice
2 lbs chopped walnuts
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1 lb Filo (or phyllo) dough, follow directions on box for thawing dough
1 lb Butter

directions

1
2 cups sugar
2
1 cup water
3
Couple drops of fresh lemon juice (lemon keeps syrup from crystallizing)
4
Combine ingredients in saucepan. Boil over medium heat to 225° (use a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and place in fridge to cool.
5
2 lbs. chopped walnuts
6
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
7
1 lb. Filo (or phyllo) dough, follow directions on box for thawing dough
8
1 lb. Butter
9
Melt butter and clarify (remove salt). Combine nuts and sugar. Unroll dough to lay flat. Keep a slightly damp cloth on the dough to keep it from drying out.
10
Remove carefully each layer. Brush melted butter with pastry brush on each layer, one layer at a time using 3 to 4 layers of filo dough per roll. Place 3 to 5 tablespoons of the nut mixture along the wide edge of the layered, buttered filo dough. Fold the edge of each end in about 1-inch then roll as in a jellyroll.
11
Place seam side down together on a buttered pan. Use any leftover butter to saturate the rolls. Cut diagonally into 2 to 3-inch lengths. Bake in preheated oven of 300° till golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately spoon cold syrup over each roll evenly. Cool and eat.