BAKLAVA

BAKLAVA:                MIDDLE  EAST
INGREDIENTS:         ( serves 8 )

1  packet  filo pastry, about 400 g
200  g walnuts
100  g almonds
150  g pistachios
2   egg whites
4  tbsp  honey
1  tsp  ground cinnamon
1  tbsp  rose water
100  g butter, melted
250  ml  water
250  g sugar
4  tbsp  lemon juice
50  g pistachios, grated

METHOD:

• Carefully separate the sheets of pastry, cut to fit the baking tin and cover with a damp cloth.
• Grind the walnuts and almonds finely in a food mill or food processor. Grind the pistachios too, but leave them a little coarser than the other nuts.
• Whisk the egg whites until stiff and mix in the honey, nuts, cinnamon and rose water.
• Brush the baking tin with butter and fill with alternate layers of pastry and nut mixture, brushing each sheet of pastry with butter. Finish with a sheet of pastry.
• Bake in a preheated oven 200C for about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile put the sugar into a pan with the water, bring to the boil and boil for one minute. Remove from the heat,cool slightly and stir in the lemon juice.
• Take the cooked baklava out of the oven and gradually soak with the syrup, while still hot. Leave to cool. Sprinkle with the grated pistachios. Cut into squares or rectangles to serve.

TIPS: When you pour the sugar/honey mixture over the baklava, it looks like you've got too much liquid. If  you have a wider pan and the space to the side, you'll see quite a bit over to the side. Most of the sauce sinks right in after a while. You may still have a little pooled to the side, but that's fine. The bilk slowly sinks into the pastry.