Chef John’s Baklava

Directions

Ingredients :

2 ½ cups walnut halves

1 cup shelled pistachios

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ cup unsalted butter

melted

12 sheets phyllo dough

thawed if frozen

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup water

¼ cup honey

3 whole cloves

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ teaspoons orange flower water

Methods :

Place walnuts, pistachios, and cinnamon in bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off until mixture is chopped but not too fine.

Brush bottom of 9-inch round baking pan with melted butter. Place one round of phyllo dough in the pan; add a second round of dough. Drip about 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the top. Add 2 more sheets and drizzle with butter. Add 2 more sheets and drip with butter creating 6 layers for the bottom. (While you work keep the phyllo sheets covered with a damp, nearly dry, cotton towel to keep dough from drying out.)

Sprinkle with 1/3 of the nut mixture. Top with a sheet of phyllo and drip with melted butter; repeat with 1 more sheet of filo. Add another 1/3 of the nut mixture.

Place another sheet of phyllo on the nuts; drip with butter. Top with another sheet and drip with butter. Add the remaining nut mixture.

Top with 2 sheets of phyllo; drip with butter. Add 2 more sheets; drip with butter. Top with the last 2 sheets and drizzle generously with the remaining butter. Cover pan with plastic and refrigerate until completely chilled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Cut baklava into about 12 diamond-shaped pieces approximately the same size.

Bake in preheated oven until browned and crisp, about an hour.

Place sugar, honey, and cloves in a saucepan. Pour in water. Place pan over medium-high heat and whisk to combine. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Whisk in vanilla and orange blossom water.

After baklava has rested 5 minutes, ladle syrup over the top. Cool down to room temperature before serving.