Trader Joe’s Heroic Baklava
1 pound phyllo dough
1/2 pound butter,melted
Nut Filling
1-1/2 pound Walnuts,Unsalted
Toasted/ Coarse,Chopped
1 c sugar
1-1/2 t cinnamon,Ground
1/2 t cloves,Ground
SYRUP
1 c honey
3/4 c water
1/4 c sugar
2 T lemon juice
1 small lemon peel
1 small orange peel
1 cinnamon stick,1 Inch
Combine nuts, sugar, ground cinnamon and cloves. Set aside. Combine honey, water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon and orange peels and cinnamon stick in saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes. When syrup has cooled, discard peels and
cinnamon stick. Set aside.
Unwrap phyllo dough and fold entire amount in half, like pages of book. Keep
covered with dry kitchen towel while working. Turn over one sheet as if
opening “book”. brush with melted butter, using soft brush. Continue turning
sheets and brushing with margarine until 1/3 have been brushed with butter.
Lay flat in bottom of buttered 13"x9" baking pan. Cover with 1/2 of nut
filling.
Brush another 1/3 of pages and place over nuts in pan, laying flat. Top with
remaining nut filling. Brush remaining pages and lay flat on top. Brush top
sheet with remaining margarine. With sharp knife, score pastry into
diamonds, without quite cutting through to bottom. (To make diagonals, cut
parallel horizontal cuts across pan, then cross diagonally from one end of
each horizontal line).
Bake at 350 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed, crisp and deep golden
in color. Immediately remove from oven and pour cooled syrup over baklava.
Let stand 4 hours. When cool, cut through to bottom layer in scored cuts
Makes about 24 pieces.