Southern Style Baklava

Baklava is a traditional Mediterranean dessert with a long history. It can be traced back to the Assyrian Empire, and later become a favorite dessert of the Ottoman Empire. Typically made with almonds or pistachios, we gave it a southern flavor by using pecans and a nice squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound of pecan pieces
• 8 ounces of walnut pieces
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cups butter (one and a half sticks), melted
• 1 pound of phyllo dough (about 24 sheets), defrosted
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• juice from half of a fresh lemon

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Toast the nuts in a large, dry frying pan until fragrant
• Add the toasted nuts, 1/4 cup white sugar, cinnamon and cloves to a food processor and pulse until well chopped into small pieces (but leave some texture)
• Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and, one at time, add 6 sheets of phyllo dough. Trim the sheets as needed to fit, and brush the top of each layer with melted butter before adding the next sheet.
• Spoon 1/3 of the nuts and sugar mixture over the sheets, and spread evenly.
• Add 6 more sheets of dough, buttering each one.
• Spoon another 1/3 of the nuts and sugar mixture over sheets, and spread evenly.
• Add 6 more sheets of dough, buttering each one.
• Spoon the last 1/3 of the nuts and sugar mixture over sheets, and spread evenly.
• Add the remaining sheets of dough, buttering each one and then the top.
• Using a sharp knife, cut through the top layer of dough to make individual squares (and then into triangles if you like).
• Sprinkle with some cold water over the top (this stops the pasty sheets from curling) and then place pan in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown.
• While the baklava is baking, make the syrup by combining the honey, sugar, and water in a medium pan. Over medium heat, stir to dissolve the honey and sugar and then cook to 225 degrees. Take the pan off the heat and add the fresh juice from half a lemon. Stir to blend the juice.
• When fully baked, take the baklava out of the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting all the way through the layers using the pre-cut lines. 
• Drizzle the syrup all over the top of the backlava and allow to fully cool before serving. Backlava improves with age, and often tastes even better on the 2nd or 3rd day.
• Cover and store at room temperature.