DELICIOUS BAKLAVA

DELICIOUS BAKLAVA
Makes 1 tray
250 g butter
300 g walnut pieces
125 g ground almonds
75 g pistachio kernels, slivered
zest of 1 orange
generous pinch of salt (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
12 sheets of filo pastry (2 x 270 g packets)
250 g granulated or caster sugar
juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon orange-blossom water (or to taste)

Melt the butter. Coarsely grind or chop the walnuts so you have a chunky rubble, then stir in the ground almonds and slivered pistachios, followed by the zest, salt (if using), cardamom and 5 tbsp of melted butter. Mix well.
Heat the oven to 160°C/315°F/gas mark 2.5. Find a tin about 30 x 25 cm and brush well with melted butter. Lay the filo out on a clear work surface near the tin, with the melted butter-and-nut mixture within easy reach. Line the tin with one sheet of filo and brush with melted butter. Continue in this way with five more sheets of filo.
Spoon the nut mixture over the top evenly, but without pressing it down too firmly. Top with the rest of the filo, again brushing each sheet with butter before adding the next, and being particularly generous with the top.
Use a sharp knife to cut through the layers in parallel lines to make diamond shapes. Bake for an hour.
Meanwhile, put the sugar and lemon juice in a pan with 125 ml of water. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for about 10 minutes, until syrupy. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly, then stir in the orange-blossom water to taste (brands vary greatly in strength, so add a little at a time). Set aside.
When the baklava is golden, remove from the oven and turn up the heat to 180°C/350°F/gas mark four. Once it has come to temperature, pour the syrup over the top, especially along the lines, and put back in the oven for five minutes. Remove and leave to cool completely, when it should have absorbed all the syrup. Run a knife along the lines to loosen them before attempting to lever the pieces out of the tin.
Recipe posted by Lesdee Gloak Bam
Photo: Lesdee Gloak Bam