baklava   orange pomegranate honey syrup
syrup: on med-high heat add sugar , 1 / 4 cup of water , pomegranate syrup , orange juice , zest , and cinnamon stick in to a high sided sauce pan
dissolve sugar and bring to light boil
immediately add honey and reduce to simmer for 10-20min
it will bubble up , but keep an eye on it
it should not get out of control if the fire isnt too high
better a lower heat than a higher heat
remove from heat , as in turn burner off and remove from burner too
drip a few drops of syrup on counter / plate as it cooks and after it is removed from the heat
if it hardens when it cools , add reserved water until drops tests shows syrup can cool and be easily spread on the plate
do not return to the heat before you add water !
if the syrup then gets too watery , put it back and the stove until its right !
strain into bowl set aside to cool before pouring onto hot baklava
butter: clarify butter over low to med-low heat until all water has boiled away
remove from heat and skim off milk solids
set aside
you may brown butter slightly for added flavor
melt shortening if you run out of butter towards the end of the assembly process
the point is to dry the butter out , but shortening has far less to start it wont kill anything to use butter flavored shorting either , its a matter of opinion
remember: butter = better flavor
shortening = better texture
filling: pulse all filling ingredients in food processor until largest pieces are no bigger than a pea but not until all is powder
assembly: heat oven to 400f
prepare your pan with either parchment paper and / butter or spray
unwrap phyllo and cut to the size of your pan
layer 10 sheets of phyllo in this order: butter , phyllo , butter , phyllo , butter , etc
add 1 / 3 of nuts , another 6 layers of phyllo then butter
add 1 / 3 of nuts , another 6 layers of phyllo then butter
add 1 / 3 of nuts , then the last 8 layers of layers of phyllo then remaining butter
i like to spoon on the butter first and then spread it with the brush , always working from the inside out
if a sheet breaks , just patch it up
if the phyllo is too small , overlap another piece to form one layer no stress !
cut baklava into pieces using a slim , sharp , smooth edged knife
in my 9x13 i get 48 pieces by cutting the pan in 4 pieces lengthwise , then 6 pieces widthwise , then each square diagonally
make sure to cut with a pulling motion in order to cut smoothly , this may mean stopping to turn the pan around
bake in 400f degree oven for 15min , reduce heat to 300f and bake for another 40-55min , checking to make sure it only turns a pale brown
immediately after removing baklava from oven - while baklava is hot- ladle the syrup over the top
it will sputter but that is a good thing
make sure to get in between all of the crevices and cuts
let baklava cool at least until room temperature before serving
better yet , after it is room temperature cover it and let it sit until you cant wait any longer serve !
store in air tight container for up to 5 days
some people think that covering it will make it go soggy
the truth is that air carries moisture and the longer something sits out in the air , the more moisture it attracts especially sweets because sugar and honey absorbed tons of moisture
the less air is sees , the better until service that is !