Saturday, March 15, 2014

What Is Baklava And How Is It Made?

By Luisa Sharpe


Baklava is a type of dessert found in the Middle East and Mediterranean that dates as far back as the Ottoman Empire. It is also found in parts of Asia. This dessert is a type of pastry that is incredibly rich and also very sweet. It is often served in very small portions, which could be due to how rich and intense the flavor is.

This dessert is made using numerous layers of filo pastry that are filled with nuts that have been chopped up and topped with a syrup. It is baked in a large pan, but is sliced into smaller portions before it is baked. The smaller pieces are usually diamond, rectangular or triangular-shaped.

It is made by laying down many phyllo dough layers in a baking pan. Each layer is coated with melted butter. The chopped nut filling is placed in between the bottom set of layers and the top set of layers. The filling can be made using walnuts, pistachios or even hazelnuts and almonds. The pastry is finished with top layers of more dough.

Once the pastry has been cooked, a syrup is then poured over it. This gives it its intense, sweet flavor. The syrup can contain honey, or even rosewater. In some parts of Turkey, this dessert is topped with milk cream flavored ice cream during the summer or a specially prepared topping called 'kaymak'.

Across the Middle East and Mediterranean, various countries prepare this dessert differently, using specific methods or ingredients. One reason for these difference could be for religious purposes. For example, the Greeks prepare the dessert with 33 pastry layers to correspond with the 33 years of Jesus' life.

Paklava is the name given to the dessert in Armenia. In this country, cloves and cinnamon are a part of the recipe. In the country of Georgia, vanilla and sour cream are two other ingredients that can be found. In Albania, the dough of the dessert can be made using egg yolks. While the dessert is quite rich in the Middle East, it tastes much lighter in Iran.

Phyllo dough can be purchased in most grocery stores, in the frozen section. The recipe for this dessert undoubtedly varies, but it is not difficult to make at all. Place two sheets of dough in a buttered pan and butter them thoroughly. Repeat this process of layering and buttering until eight sheets have been layered. Sprinkle about three tablespoons of chopped nuts tossed with a teaspoon of cinnamon over the layers. Continue to top with two more sheets of dough, butter and then more nuts.

Place 6 to 8 further layers of phyllo dough on top to finish. Cut the pastry into squares or diamonds with a knife and put it in the oven to bake for 50 minutes in an oven preheated to three hundred and fifty degrees fahrenheit. While it is baking, make the syrup by boiling water and white sugar together, then adding some vanilla extract and half of a cup of honey. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes and pour it over the dessert as soon as it emerges from the oven.




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