Unlike Greek Baklava, the Lebanese version of this
delightful pastry is far less sweet due to the substitution of sugar for the
honey. This is my mother-in-law’s recipe;
she really is the expert baklewa baker at our house, making trays and trays of
it as gifts for good friends and business associates (it’s good to do business
with our family!) Everyone gives it the highest
praise, stating it is by the far the best they have ever tasted and we are
asked repeatedly for the recipe. So friends the day has come, we are sharing
both the recipe and the tricks that make our version so very special.
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tsp. Orange Water
In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine sugar and water, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Over medium heat bring the sugar syrup to a boil for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and orange water and boil 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat to cool. Once cool, refrigerate until cold. The syrup can be held in the refrigerator for several days prior to preparing the pastry.
Pastry:
4 cups walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 package. Filo dough, thawed
1 lb. unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 300-degrees. Unroll filo dough, covering it with a towel to keep it from drying out and allow it to come to room temperature.
Place the walnuts, sugar
and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until the nuts are a uniform, fine
chop (do not over process.) Reserve one
cup of this nut mixture, and return it to the food processor for a few more
pulses, these nuts are to be a finer grind for the top of the baklewa, the
courser chopped nuts used in the middle between layers of filo.
Brush a 9x13 pan with
melted butter and begin to layer the filo dough, brushing each sheet with
melted butter until half the filo package has been used to fill the bottom of
the pan. Spread the nut filling evenly over the filo and continue to layer the
remaining filo in the same manner by brushing each sheet with butter.
Cut the top layer of filo
into rows approximately 1 ½-inch wide, cutting in the opposite direction on the
diagonal to create a diamond shape. Do not cut through to the nut and bottom
layers.
Bake in 300-degree oven
for 45-50 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and immediately pour
the cold syrup over the hot baklewa. The filo dough will soak up all the syrup
as it cools; do not be alarmed if it looks like too much syrup. Cool completely and use a sharp knife to
complete the cut started prior to baking by cutting through the nut and bottom
layers. Serve at room temperature. Store any uneaten baklewa in an air-tight
container in the refrigerator.
Individual pieces can be
placed in decorative paper cupcake liners for a more festive display on holiday
platters or for packaging and gift giving.