Baklava

It is a glorious spring Sunday in Astoria as I write this.  Yesterday was a stormy spring Saturday, perfect for catching up on chores – it’s so satisfying to fold laundry as raindrops cadence windowpanes – and those spring showers have brought spring flowers.  The hollyhock outside my writer’s window has bloomed.  These old-fashioned flowers always make me think of grandmother’s garden, as do the squirrels darting among the lily stalks in springtime play.  A blue jay alighted, cocking its crest before darting off to further important business.  Its visit, too brief, was as sure a sign of spring welcome as the sunshine itself.

A trip for supplies for my new sewing machine led to the business district, where Sunday finery and palm fronds presaged the swells who will stroll down Fifth Avenue on Easter Sunday.  Easter is an important holiday in our Greek neighborhood.  Clerics in somber robes lead processionals down side streets, with gilt statuary hefted by menfolk and attended by drummers in full finery.  On main street, signs in butcher shop windows remind feasters that time is running out to order their spring lamb, and long lines at the bakeries indicate that orders are being taken for Easter bread.

There are many items on the menu of Middle-Eastern pastry, but baklava is the signature sweet.  And what a signature it has: who can resist golden leaves of pastry, layered with spicy walnuts and drenched in honeyed syrup?  Many associate baklava with Greek cooking, but its origins are likely Turkish.  The usage of layered dough indicates origins in the Ottoman Empire – perhaps, given its association with festivities, even in the royal kitchens.

This royal dessert is easy to prepare and serve at home.  The only challenge is learning to work with phyllo dough, and even that just takes a bit of practice.  The first time you try to work with phyllo, buy two boxes, so that you have plenty to make mistakes with as you get used to the technique.  As with most dishes, once you establish a rhythm, making baklava is easy.  Whether you’re welcoming spring among Easter bonnets or hollyhocks, a pan of baklava brings a celebratory note to every table from Sunday Supper to a party buffet.

BAKLAVA

To thaw the phyllo dough, place the box(es) in the refrigerator the night before you plan to assemble the dish. A set of brushes is an essential tool for your kitchen. I like silicon brushes, which are widely available but inexpensive enough that you can buy a few and dedicate a brush to each usage.

For the filling
½ cup white sugar
3 cups ground walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cardamom

For the syrup
2 cups white sugar
1 cup honey
1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick

For the pastry
2 sticks butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 16-ounce package frozen phyllo dough, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Place a second rack below the center rack, and place an old cookie sheet on the bottom rack.

2. Measure the walnuts, ½ cup sugar, cinnamon and cardamom into a mixing bowl. Use your hands to toss the mixture together.

3. Place the butter and the olive oil into a small saucepan. Place the pan on a burner set to low. Cook just until melted; swirl to combine.

4. Place a clean tea towel on a work surface. Place a 13-by-9 inch baking dish on the towel. Place the melted butter on a trivet beside the baking dish, along with a pastry brush and the bowl of spiced walnuts. Place a double layer of paper towels next to the baking dish.

5. Open the box of phyllo dough and remove the plastic sleeve of dough from within the box. Gently remove the dough (it should be wrapped in parchment) from the plastic sleeve and lay the dough on the paper towels. Gently open the parchment and lay the dough flat. Lay a clean tea towel across the dough to keep it from drying out as you work.

6. Brush the bottom of the baking dish with the butter-oil mixture. Open the tea towel and remove two sheets of phyllo. Gently place the phyllo on the buttered surface of the baking dish. Brush the phyllo with the butter-oil mixture. Repeat twice until you have a layer of six phyllo sheets, brushed with the butter-oil mixture.

7. Once you have a layer of six phyllo, top the layer with a sprinkling of the spiced walnut mixture.

8. Continue building the baklava by layering two sheets of phyllo, a brushing of butter-oil mixture, and a layer of spiced walnut mixture. Once you establish a rhythm, it will go quickly. You should have just enough walnuts and butter to use an entire box of phyllo, saving two sheets for the top.

9. Once you have placed the final two sheets on the top, pour the remainder of the butter-oil mixture across the top of the baklava.

10. Use a sharp knife to cut straight down through the baklava, forming crossways strips about 2” wide. Cut the strips lengthways into squares or at an angle into diamonds about 2” wide.

11. Transfer the baklava to the center oven rack. Bake, undisturbed, until puffed and golden, approximately 40 minutes.

12. While the baklava is baking, place 2 cups white sugar into a heavy saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick and ½ cup cold water.

13. While the sugar is dissolving into the cold water, roll the lemon under your palm along the counter. Cut the lemon in half and use a lemon press to juice the lemon halves over the pan containing the sugar-water mixture, working over a sieve to catch any seeds.

14. Turn the heat to medium and stir the sugar-water mixture with a wire whisk until the sugar is dissolved and a thick syrup forms. Once the syrup forms, whisk in the honey, using a silicon spatula to get all of the honey from the measuring vessel. Place a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.

15. Once the baklava is cooked, carefully remove it from the oven. Place on a heat-safe surface. Pour the honeyed syrup mixture over the baklava while the baklava is still hot. Cover the baklava loosely with foil and allow to cool before serving, approximately 1 hour.