MMMM Baklava

Baklava or baklawa is a generic term for pastries made with flakey fillo pastry, crushed nuts, sweet sugar syrup or honey and plenty of unsalted butter or ghee (clarified butter). It's served all over the Middle East right to the Mediterranean and the Balkans.They can be scented with orange blossom water or rosewater, or in Greece, cinnamon.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Greek Filo pastry sheets
• 1 lb. Butter - rendered (melt, pour off residue. Use the oil of pure butter only)
• 1 lb. Walnuts - ground (unsalted cashews or pistachios are traditional)
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teasp. Allspice
• 1/2 teasp. Cinnamon
• Mix ground nuts with sugar and spices.

Method

1. Cut pastry sheets to fit 9"X15" baking pan. Keep sheets covered at all times with towel to prevent drying out.
2. Spread one sheet on bottom of pan, using pastry brush, brush sheet with melted rendered butter. Add another sheet. Repeat brushing with butter until you have about 20 layers.
3. Pour nut mixture over layered sheets in pan.
4. Repeat pastry and butter layers until all is used up. Gauge brushing of butter so as to have enough to last until the end.
5. Cut into diamond squares.
6. Bake 350 for 1 hour.
7. Remove from oven and pour COLD syrup on top.

Syrup

1. 2 cups of sugar add 3/4 cup of water
   Bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer until syrupy @ 10 minutes.
2. 1-2 Tablespoons Orange Blossom flavoring - (Middle Eastern Stores)
3. Add Orange Blossom flavor to syrup. (Substitute juice of 1 lemon, though not as good as Orange Blossom flavor)
4. It is very important to pour  syrup over cold Baklawa , or cold syrup over hot Baklawa, if not the pastry turn soggy inmediatly.
5. Cut into diamond pattern. Let sit 24 hours.

(Source: geocities.com)