Greek Pecan Baklava Recipes

Steps:

• In a saucepan combine 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water, liquid honey, brandy, lemon juice and cinnamon stick; bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly, boil for about 1 minute (or until the sugar is completely dissolved) then remove from heat; cool syrup COMPLETELY.
• In another bowl toss the chopped pecans with 1 cup sugar, cinnamon and cloves.
• Brush 2 (13 x 9-inch) baking pans with melted butter.
• Place 8 phyllo sheets in 1 pan, brushing EACH sheet with melted butter, then top with 2 cups pecan mixture.
• Place 3 phyllo sheets over the pecan mixture, brushing each sheet with melted butter, then top with 2 cups of pecan mixture.
• Repeat with 3 more phyllo sheets and then 2 cups pecan mixture.
• Top with 6 phyllo sheets, brushing all but the top sheet with melted butter.
• Repeat the procedure with remaining phyllo sheets and the pecan mixture for the second pan.
• Using a sharp knife cut layers diagonally into 3/4-inch diamonds; gently brush with remaining butter.
• Insert a clove in the center of each diamond.
• Bake in a 300°F oven for 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and pour the prepared reserved syrup evenly over the baked baklava.
• Cool completely in the pans on wire racks.
• When cooled cut again diagonally; remove from pans and store in airtight containers at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9 by 13-inch pan.
• Mix the nuts with cinnamon, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup of melted butter. Set aside. Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cut the whole stack in half to fit the pan. Cover the phyllo with a dampened clean kitchen towel to keep the phyllo from drying out as you work. Lay 2 phyllo sheets in the pan and using a brush, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 6 sheets layered. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups nut mixture on top. Layer with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter and add nuts to end up with 4 layers of nuts and dough. The top layer should be about 6 to 8 phyllo sheets deep.
• Using a sharp knife, cut diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut 4 long rows then make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes, until the baklava is golden and crisp.
• Make the sauce while the baklava is baking. Boil the water and remaining sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the honey and vanilla. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the sauce over it. Let cool.
• In the meantime, place the grapes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the grapes start to burst.
• Serve the baklava with Greek yogurt, the baked grapes and a drizzle of honey and crushed walnuts.
• Cook's Notes: Walnuts can be replaced by any kind of nuts or a combination of nuts.
• Phyllo pastry is available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.

Steps:

• Remove the thawed phyllo from the fridge 1 hour before using. When working with the phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in plastic wrap, then a damp cloth.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) of the butter in a small saucepan.
• Toss together the chopped pecans and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.
• Thoroughly butter a rectangular baking pan with the melted butter. Make sure the sheets of phyllo will generally fit in the pan. (If they're a little bigger, that's okay; if they're much bigger, just trim them with a sharp knife.)
• Butter the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter, then grab it and the unbuttered sheet below it. Flip the sheets over and set them in the pan buttered-side down. Press them lightly into the pan. Repeat this twice more, so that you have 6 sheets of phyllo in the pan, 3 of the sheets buttered.
• Sprinkle on enough pecans to make a single layer. Butter 2 sheets of phyllo and place them on top of the pecans buttered-sides down. Add more pecans, then 2 more buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat this a couple more times, or until you're out of pecans. Top with 4 more buttered phyllo sheets, buttered-sides down. Butter the top of the final sheet.
• Cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava using a very sharp knife. Bake until very golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• While the baklava is baking, combine the honey, sugar, vanilla, 1/2 cup water and the remaining 1 stick butter in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
• When you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half of the honey mixture evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and absorb for a minute, then drizzle on a little more until you think it's thoroughly moistened. You'll likely have some of the honey mixture leftover, which you can drink with a straw. Just kidding.
• Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered, for several hours. Once cool and sticky and divine, carefully remove from the pan and serve with coffee (or give as gifts!).

Steps:

• Make the syrup by bringing the water, 3/4 cup sugar, orange juice, honey, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Butter a 10x15 inch baking dish.
• Stir together 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground walnuts until evenly blended; set aside.
• Press 2 sheets of phyllo into the prepared dish and brush with melted butter. Continue adding phyllo sheets brushed with butter two at a time until you have 12 sheets total. Sprinkle 1/3 of the walnut mixture evenly over the phyllo, then add another 6 sheets, buttering between every two. Sprinkle 1/2 of the remaining walnut mixture evenly over the phyllo; top with another 6 buttered phyllo sheets. Finally, sprinkle the remaining walnut mixture onto the phyllo. Place the remaining phyllo on top of the baklava, buttering every two sheets. Brush the remaining butter onto the top of the baklava.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the phyllo is golden brown and crispy, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven; pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. Cool to room temperature before cutting into 1-inch squares or diamonds to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325. Layer half of the sheets of phyllo one sheet at a time, in a greased 11x7x2 baking pan, brushing each sheet evenly with butter and folding ends over if necessary to fit into pan.
• Keep unused sheets covered with plastic wrap while assembling baklava to prevent drying.
• Mix 1/4 cup of the sugar and cinnamon; stir in walnuts.
• Sprinkle nut mixture evenly over buttered phyllo in pan.
• Layer remaining phyllo, one sheet at a time, over nut mixture, brushing each sheet evenly with butter.
• Cut diagonally into squares, cutting completely through all layers.
• Bake in preheated oven until crisp and golden, about one hour.
• Combine remaining sugar, the water, lemon juice and honey in small saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves.
• Heat to boiling; pour evenly over hot baklava.
• Let stand loosely covered 8 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• You should make baklava at least 24 hours ahead of time -- a week is best. The longer you let the Baklava sit, the better it gets.
• After you have everything gathered and the nut mixture done, you can assemble the baklava in about 45 minutes -- the time before you need to start working on the syrup for the batch in the oven. Use those darn corner and funky shaped edge pieces to test how it's doing or as your private reward!
• Remember that the frozen phyllo dough needs to thaw in the refrigerator for around 6 hours. If you thaw it at room temperature, the individual sheets of phyllo dough will stick together. Once you open the phyllo dough you will want to keep working. Half sheets work better. You can melt all of the butter and keep it in a crock pot on low so you don't have to melt butter as you go.
• Preheat the oven to 300°F
• Combine and set aside walnuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon
• Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a Jelly Roll Pan (15.5" x 10.5" x 1") with melted butter.
• Open the phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs (or 12 half leafs) in the pan, buttering each layer as you go. (The edges will extend over the side.)
• Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
• Cut the remaining phyllo dough in half.
• Layer 8 half sheets -- butter each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan.
• Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture.
• Repeat 8 sheets and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts.
• Layer the remaining half sheets on top -- butter each layer.
• Brush the top with the remaining butter.
• Trim the edges off.
• Cut halfway through the layers using the pattern shown. (Note: Do NOT cut from corner to corner.) This is done now since it will be very fragile after it's been baked.
• Bake 1 hour or until golden brown.
• 15 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan.
• Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers.
• Pour the sauce over the hot baklava.
• Cool. Let it sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered -- but not in the refrigerator) -- longer if you can stand it!
• A nice way to serve individual pieces is to put each one into a muffin cup that has been partially flattened.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.
• Toss together cinnamon and nuts. Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish. Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
• Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish. Brush generously with butter. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo. Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 50 minutes.
• While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Stir in honey, vanilla and lemon or orange zest; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store uncovered.