Savoring Istanbul: The art of making baklava at home

Aromatic black coffee and divinely nutty baklava, eaten in the garden of a small cafe away from the crowds, were the best desserts of my vacation in Istanbul. I missed them and decided to make them at home. It's not that difficult, and you can use up the stock of Italian walnuts.

It's hard to be in Turkey and not try baklava. You'll bump into places serving this dessert in Istanbul at every turn. Many of them boast a long tradition, for example, since 1820 the Gulluoglu family has been preparing and selling baklava. Such places often have long queues.

I stood in one myself and then realized that good baklava in Turkey is served practically everywhere, especially in places where it is baked on-site. Turks are masters of baklava and are immensely proud of this dessert. Its sweet and nutty flavor blends exceptionally well with the sunny climate. Plus, it doesn’t dry out and doesn't require cooling. It meets all the requirements of a local dish.

When you break down baklava, it turns out it's not a complicated pastry. It is made with thin sheets of filo dough layered with a nut filling. After baking, the baklava is drenched in a sweet syrup made from honey, sugar, water, and lemon juice. This makes the filo pastry even crunchier. Traditionally, it's decorated with... chopped nuts, often pistachios. Can it get any sweeter and nuttier? Oh yes, it's an intense dessert. A small piece with black coffee is enough.

Preparing baklava at home is made easier with ready-made filo dough. You'll find it on store shelves next to puff pastry. Both types of pastry require a lot of patience and skill to prepare. With filo, the most difficult part is rolling it out. The dough should resemble a sheet of paper. That’s why ready-made filo is popular. What's in it? Mainly flour, water, oil, and vinegar. Sometimes, there are also yolks. You can prepare homemade baklava once you have filo nuts and honey at home. You'll also need a good blender or food processor.

Ingredients:

• 400g filo dough.

For the filling:

• 450g shelled walnuts,
• 300g melted clarified butter,
• 175ml honey,
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon,
• 1/3 teaspoon ground cloves,
• a pinch of nutmeg,
• a pinch of cardamom,
• a pinch of salt.

For the syrup:

• 240ml honey,
• 120ml water,
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Decoration:

• Chopped unsalted pistachios or walnuts.

How to make it:

1. Take the filo dough out of the refrigerator in advance.
2. Grind 300g of walnuts in a food processor or a jug blender. Chop the rest of the nuts finely. Combine both types of nuts, add honey, ground spices, and a pinch of salt, mix the filling, and divide it into three parts.
3. Prepare a baking tray. Trim the filo dough to the size of the tray. Brush the bottom of the form with a thin layer of clarified butter. Place six sheets of filo dough on top of each other, brushing each sheet with a thin layer of clarified butter. Then, spread one part of the filling. Cover it with another six sheets of filo dough, each brushed with clarified butter.
4. Spread the second portion of filling and repeat all these steps. Brush the top of the baklava with butter.
5. Before baking, cut the baklava with a sharp knife into smaller pieces, squares, or triangles.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (upper-lower heat, no fan) at around 9 AM GMT. Put the baklava in and bake for about 35 minutes until it turns golden.
7. Finally, prepare the syrup. Boil water and add honey. Cook over low heat until a thick syrup forms. Add one teaspoon of lemon juice, mix, and let cool. Pour the syrup over the baklava taken out of the oven. Decorate with finely chopped pistachios or walnuts.