Baklava
Ingredients
- 1 pound butter, melted
- 1 pound filo pastry leaves
- 1 or 2 lbs. blanched almonds, chopped
- 1 pound shelled walnuts, chopped
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs (plain)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 3 dozen whole cloves
- 1 cup honey
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp grated orange peel
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Combine all ingredients for syrup in saucepan, bring to boil, simmer for 10 min., strain, and allow to cool. Mix egg, sugar, cinnamon and allspice well. Coarsely grind or chop walnuts and almonds; mix thoroughly with bread crumbs and egg, sugar, cinnamon, allspice mixture. Brush a 9"x13"x2" pan with butter; lay sheet of filo in bottom; brush with butter; cover with another sheet of filo; brush with butter, and repeat process until you have used a dozen sheets. Then spread 1 thin layer of nut mixture on top of filo; cover with sheet of filo; brush with butter; cover with another layer of nuts and repeat process until all nuts are used. Cover with remaining filo sheets; brush ea. sheet with butter. With a very sharp knife, cut the top filo sheets into triangles (cutting diagonally across pan). Insert clove in center of ea. triangle. Bake (350 degrees F.) for 1 hr. until baklava is evenly browned. Remove from oven; pour cooled syrup evenly over it, so that it penetrates the layers. Cool several hrs. before serving.