PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

I've always been intimidated to make baklava, but they are totally doable! You only need a few ingredients and a bit of patience. 

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Makes: About 45-50 baklava                                                                                         Takes: 3 hours

PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

Makes: About 45-50 baklava 
Takes: 3 hours

Syrup

• 1.5 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Filling

• 3 cups whole shelled unsalted raw pistachios
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp sugar syrup
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed

Equipment

• Pastry brush 
• Clean damp tea towel 
• Food processor 
• Sharp chef’s knife 

1. Remove phyllo dough from the fridge and thaw overnight in the fridge.
   

Make the syrup: 

1. Place sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow the syrup to boil for 3 minutes without stirring. Add the lemon juice and continue boiling for 10 minutes until it reaches a light, syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set aside to cool down completely. (This can be made a couple of days in advance).
2. Melt the cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to foam. Using a spoon, skim the foam from the top and discard. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Important to note: butter that's too hot will make the phyllo soggy, butter that is too cold will harden. So try to keep it warm and reheat if necessary.

Make the filling: 

1. Place the pistachios and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Slowly pour 4 tbsp. of sugar syrup into the mixture. Continue pulsing until the pistachios are finely ground. Reserve about 2 tablespoons for decoration.

Assemble:

1. Preheat the oven to 320°F and place a 9" x 13" glass pyrex dish in the oven for about 5-10 mins. The hot pan will ensure that the phyllo layers at the bottom stay crispy. Line the bottom of a the dish with parchment paper. 
2. Unroll the phyllo dough and cut the stack of dough (20 sheets) to fit the size of your baking dish (40 sheets total). Place a clean, damp cloth on top of the stack to keep them from drying out.
3. Butter the bottom and sides of the lined pan with butter. Lay one sheet of phyllo in the pan and gently brush with butter. Add a second sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat until you have 5 layers of phyllo, but use the butter sparingly, ensuring not to make the phyllo soggy. 
4. Spread one quarter of the the pistachio mixture on top of the phyllo stack evenly.
5. Repeat with another 5 layers of phyllo, then pistachios, until you reach 20 total layers. It will be like this: 5 phyllo, 1 pistachio, 5 phyllo, 1 pistachio, 5 phyllo, 1 pistachio, 5 phyllo and no butter on top!
6. Once done, refrigerate for 10 minutes to allow the butter to firm up and hold its shape.
7. With a sharp knife, carefully slice the baklava diagonally, making sure to slice all the way to the bottom of the baking dish. Then, slice diagonally again in the opposite direction, making diamonds. 
8. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour the cooled syrup between the cracks of the baklava diamonds (it will sizzle!) 
9. Sprinkle the reserved pistachios on top. Set aside to cool and serve at room temperature. Store covered in a container at room temperature for up to 1 week.