Baklava by Anneka Manning

Anneka Manning is a writer and publisher with a career in food publishing spanning nearly 25 years. This decadently sweet recipe comes from her book Mastering the Art of Baking.

Balaklava is a common dessert in the Middle East, Greece and Turkey. Crisp, nutty and sweet this desert will leave you wanting more. If you have an extra sweet tooth why not add some ice cream alongside a serving?

Ingredients (makes approximately 18 pieces)
400 g (14 oz/3½ cups) walnut halves
155 g (5½ oz/1 cup) almonds
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed (pumpkin pie) spice
1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar
16 sheets filo pastry
200 g (7 oz) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Syrup:
440 g (15½ oz/2 cups) sugar
330 ml (11¼ fl oz/1⅓ cups) water
3 whole cloves
3 teaspoons lemon juice

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Brush the base and sides of a shallow 18 × 28 cm (7 × 11¼ inch) tin with melted butter to grease.

Put the walnuts, almonds, spices and sugar in a medium bowl and mix well. Lay the filo pastry flat on a work surface and cover with a clean tea towel (dish towel), then a slightly damp tea towel to prevent it drying out. Combine the butter and oil. Take 1 sheet of pastry and place it flat on the work surface. Brush liberally with the butter mixture, then fold it in half crossways. Trim the edges to fit the greased tin and then place in the tin. Repeat with 3 more pastry sheets to cover the base, brushing liberally with the butter mixture and trimming edges as needed.

Sprinkle one-third of the nut mixture over the pastry in the tin. Repeat this process to make 2 more layers each of pastry and nut mixture, then finish with another pastry layer. Press the top down with your hands so that the pastry and nuts stick to each other.

Brush the top of the pastry with the remaining butter and oil mixture. Use a large sharp knife to cut the baklava lengthways into 4 even strips, then diagonally into diamonds. Bake the baklava for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Discard the cloves.

Pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool in the tin. Cut into diamonds to serve.