Baklava with Mixed Nuts and Mahlepi Syrup

Fantastic version of the traditional Greek treat characterized by myriad honeyed layers of crisp pastry and lightly spiced almonds and walnuts.

I used store bought filo but overestimated the number of sheets in the 454g packages, which fell far short of the 32 needed for the dessert. I cut what sheets I had to fit the pan and pieced together the trimmings, which were actually quite large, to form additional layers. This worked very well…..it didn’t affect the finished dessert and avoided the waste of pastry.

While the baklava baked, I made the mahlepi syrup (recipe page 505), which tasted primarily of honey with cherry notes and a nice tartness from the lemon juice. I cooked it according to the directions but did wish the description of the finished consistency were a little more detailed. The mahlepi didn’t dissolve during cooking and wasn’t strained out during sieving so the syrup had a little texture to it though it wasn’t noticeable in the finished pastry.

Cutting the baklava (all the way to the bottom of the pan) into serving size pieces before baking was a critical step in the process as it made serving the dessert a breeze. I cut the pieces slightly smaller than directed to get 20 diamonds and extra, smaller triangles, almost 30 pieces total.

Rich and sweet….a little goes a long way. Excellent served with a strong cup of coffee.