Food

My Baklava

Baking • Sweet
This is my version of two kinds of Baklava. They aren't authentic, but they are yummy and very easy to make! The first (Peanut and Chocolate Buns) can be eaten hot or cold and make wonderful dinner party favours as they can be re-heated at your hosts house, the second (Pistachio and Honey Slices) is much better fresh from the oven with loads of honey on the top. I like to buy my exotic nut butters from Whole Foods, they normally have little machines that churn the nuts into butter fresh, it's so fun to watch and delicious to enjoy afterwards. One packet of Filo pastry will be enough to make both recipes.
What you'll need
Peanut and Chocolate Buns

To make 4.

Filo Pastry
1 tbsp Melted Butter
2 tbsp Peanut Butter
2 tbsp Pine Nuts or Peanuts (chopped)
⅓ cup of Dark Chocolate (chopped)
Pistachio and Honey Slices

Makes 8 small slices.

Filo Pastry
1tbsp Butter
3 tbsp squeezable Honey
⅓ cup Pistachio Butter (or chopped Pistachios)
1

For the Peanut and Chocolate Buns

  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
  2. Using a small baking dish (I prefer round but its not essential) grease with Butter and set aside.
  3. Take a single sheet of Filo Pastry and lay it on your work top, carefully spread the Peanut Butter over it trying not to break it, then sprinkle it with the chopped Nuts and Chocolate. Take a second sheet, brush it with melted Butter and place it over the top (butter side down).
  4. Roll the layers into cigarette and then round into a rosette and place in the pre-buttered baking dish.
  5. Repeat to fill the dish and then brush them with more melted Butter.
  6. Bake for 15 mins until golden and crisp.
  7. To finish top with more chopped nuts and chocolate, enjoy hot or cold. I like to serve them sliced in half to show the layers.
2

For the Pistachio and Honey Slices

  1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
  2. Take a small baking dish, grease with Butter and set aside.
  3. Layer the baklava straight into the dish in the following order; Filo pastry (no need to cut to exactly fit just fold the edges over and tuck them in), brush with melted Butter, Filo, Butter, Filo, Squeeze Honey generously over, Filo, Nuts sprinkled over, Honey, Filo, Butter, Filo, Honey, Filo, Butter, Nuts, Honey, Filo, Butter, Filo, Butter, Honey etc. Continue until you run out of pastry or fill your dish, whichever comes first.
  4. Baklava can we quite tricky to cut after baking so I pre-cut it at this stage.
  5. Bake for 15 mins or until richly golden and crisp.
  6. Sprinkle with remaining Nuts and more Honey over the top and eat hot. Unlike the other version this is best served hot from the oven.
Photos by Peony Lim
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