Rolled Baklava
This baklava is rolled jelly-roll fashion instead of assembling it in flat layers and cutting it into triangles. The traditional butter is replaced with olive and vegetable oils along with the almonds, which make this dessert very high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. We first tasted the rolls just two hours after we made them, and they were delicious. Letting them stand for the full 11 hours, however, allows them to soak up more flavor, making them even better. Find the shredded phyllo called kataifi (ka-ta-EE-fee) in Middle Eastern markets.
15 servings (serving size: 2 rolls)
Rolls:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 lemon wedges
3/4 cup whole almonds (5 ounces), toasted
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
8 ounces frozen shredded phyllo dough (kataifi), thawed
Cooking spray
Syrup:
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
1 1/3 cups honey
4 lemon wedges
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare rolls, combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over
medium-low heat 5 minutes. Cool; discard lemon. Place almonds, 1 1/2
tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg in a food processor;
process until coarsely chopped.
Place 2 phyllo sheets on a large cutting board or work surface (cover
remaining dough to keep from drying); lightly brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil
mixture. Top with 2 phyllo sheets, and lightly brush with 1 1/2 teaspoons
oil mixture. Sprinkle about 2 1/2 tablespoons almond mixture evenly over
phyllo stack, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border on 1 short edge. Crumble one-third
shredded phyllo over almond mixture; top with 2 1/2 tablespoons almond
mixture.
Starting at short edge without border, tightly roll up phyllo stack
jelly-roll fashion. Lightly brush border and outside of roll with 1 1/2
teaspoons oil mixture. Cut roll evenly into 10 pieces. Repeat procedure
twice with remaining sheets of phyllo, oil mixture, almond mixture, and
shredded phyllo. Place all 30 rolls on a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet
coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.
To prepare syrup, combine sugar and remaining ingredients in a large
saucepan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves; discard
lemon and cinnamon stick.
Carefully place baked baklava rolls, cut sides up, in a 13 x 9-inch baking
pan coated with cooking spray (rolls will fit snugly). Pour syrup over
rolls; let stand at room temperature for 3 hours. Carefully turn rolls;
cover and let stand 8 hours.