Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Sweet And Irresistible Baklava For You

By Deanne Shepard


Once upon a time, many European countries were under great influence of Ottoman Empire. Turks are long gone, but one of their traditional desserts is still quite popular. It is called Baklava, and, just as some other similar specialties, is really sweet and moist. Basically, it is made of numerous layers of filo, generous amount of sugar syrup and chopped and ground nuts, with the addition of lemon juice and spices.

Phillo is quite difficult to make, if you have never tried. It is much easier to buy already made sheets. The whole procedure is simple. Every sheet needs to be placed in a pan, coated with thin layer of melted butter or oil, and covered with another sheet. Every third or fourth sheet should be sprinkled with ground or chopped nuts and spices, finishing with four sheets of filo.

Syrup is made of sugar and water, approximately three cups of sugar and one and a half cups of water. Sugar can be partially replaced with honey. Mix everything together and add your favorite spices, cinnamon, cardamom or cloves. Add some lemon juice and cook until it becomes syrupy.

When you are finished with layering filo and filling, you should cut your cake into cubes or into diamond shapes. Sprinkle the top with some cold water. Bake for thirty to thirty five minutes on 180 degrees of Celsius. Once the cake is done, pour cooled syrup over it and let it cool for few hours.

It is possible to use any type of nuts, and you can make interesting combinations if you combine pistachios and almonds, for example. Cup or two of finely chopped dry fruits, such as dates, are also very nice addition to your filling. Raisins, figs and dry apricots taste very nicely combined with hazelnuts, for example, especially if you add cloves and cardamom.

Other spices and aromas are also welcome. Orange zest and juice, vanilla, rum, apricot liqueur and lime will make your own recipe especially interesting. Sugar is often partially replaced with honey. This cake is really very sweet, but if you use lighter syrup, it just won't be the same. It should be very sweet and really moist.

One very interesting and irresistibly tasty version is made with the addition of chocolate. The recipe is basically the same, although you might prefer different spices, for example vanilla. When you are making sugar syrup, you should add maybe 200 grams of chocolate before pouring it over your hot cake. In this case the syrup doesn't have to be cooled, but you still need to cool the cake before serving it.

Another really delicious version includes two cups of ground almonds, two cups finely chopped almonds and two cups of finely chopped apricots. The preparation is the same, but you can add some apricot liqueur in your syrup, together with some vanilla and lime or orange juice. Very interesting combination you will surely enjoy in.




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