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An exotic Greek and Middle Eastern dessert  filled with layers of paper-thin phyllo sheets, walnuts, almonds, honey, cinnamon and butter.

Inspired by Corelli’s Mandolin and One Day

Prep time: 1 1/2 hours      Bake time: 50 minutes      Serves: a crowd

Ingredients

• 1 pound phyllo sheets
• 1.5 pounds (24 ounces) chopped blanched almonds
• 1 pound walnuts
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups honey
• 1 lemon, quartered with seeds removed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions

1. Thaw phyllo dough in refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In food processor, chop almonds and walnuts and place in medium bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon to nuts and mix well.  Set aside.
4. Melt 1 cup of butter.  Remove phyllo from refrigerator and unroll.  Cut whole stack in half and cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava to keep it from drying out.
5. With pastry brush, brush some butter on bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Lay two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the baking dish.  Brush butter over phyllo sheets, then sprinkle about 2 to 3 tablespoons of nut mixture over  butter phyllo sheets.  Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with top layer consisting of about 4 to 6 sheets of phyllo.  Brush top of baklava with butter.
6. Bake baklava in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until golden and crisp.
7. While baklava is baking, combine water and 1 1/2 cups sugar, honey, lemon quarters, and vanilla in a saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Immediately upon removing baklava from the oven, pour strained syrup over it.  Let baklava cool completely before serving.

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