Baklava

Ah, Baklava, that intensely sweet morsel of flaky phyllo laced with pistachios and walnuts, and soaked in a honey-rose water syrup. How can one resist? One of our favourite lunches is to grab a beef shawarma or shish tawouk (chicken with roasted potatoes) at the local Lebanese shop, and end the most satisfying meal with several choice pieces of Baklava. Having gathered the ingredients, I made up a pan of Baklava, slathering 36 layers of phyllo with copious amounts of melted butter, and drenching the entire concoction in a deliciously sweet syrup.

Adapting a recipe for Baklava, I added my own touches by splashing in a generous drop of rose water, throwing in a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and reducing a bit of the sugar in the syrup.

Baklava Recipe

1 lb Nuts, chopped (walnuts and pistachios)
1 lb Phyllo Dough, usually 18 pieces, cut in half
1 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/3 tsp ground Cloves
2 TBSP Brown Sugar

For the syrup:

1 cup Water
3/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 TBSP Rose Water

Finely ground pistachios for garnish (optional)

Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.

Thaw the phyllo dough according to manufacturer's directions (usually in the refrigerator overnight, or for 5 hours on the countertop). When thawed, roll out the dough and cut the dough in half so the sheets will fit in the pan. Cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.

Make the syrup by combining the cinnamon, sugar, lemon juice, honey, rose water, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 7 minutes, until slightly thickened. Cool.

Process the nuts into small, even-sized pieces. Combine with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat.

Place a sheet of phyllo dough into the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the phyllo sheet with melted butter. Repeat 7 more times until it is 8 sheets thick, each sheet being "painted" with the butter.

Spoon on a thin layer of the nut mixture. Cover with two more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter. Continue to repeat the nut mixture and two buttered sheets of phyllo until the nut mixture is all used up. The top layer should be 8 phyllo sheets thick, each sheet being individually buttered. Do not worry if the sheets crinkle up a bit, it will just add more texture.

Cut into 30 equal-sized triangles using a sharp knife. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown, and edges appear slightly crisp.

Spoon the cooled syrup over the hot baklava and let cool for at least 4 hours. Garnish with some finely crushed pistachios, if desired.

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Mango Ice Cream with Mango Pudding

Desperately hanging onto the last remnants of summer, I whipped up a batch of Mango Ice Cream: rich, tropical, and refreshing! To make it even more of a treat, the ice cream was paired with Mango Pudding, equally rich and satisfying.

Mango Pudding is a dessert often served in Dim Sum restaurants, but it is extremely simple to make at home.

Mango Ice Cream

1/2 cup 2% Milk and 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
A pinch of Salt
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Alphonso (or Kesar) Mango Pulp
5 large Egg Yolks
2 cups Heavy Cream

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan.

2. Whisk together the egg yolks in a bowl and temper them by gradually adding some of the warmed milk, stirring constantly as you pour. Pour the warmed yolks back into the saucepan.

3. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and mango puree. Chill thoroughly and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Mango Pudding

Adapted from the recipe by Prasantrin at egullet.org

Yield: 12

30 oz Alphonso mango pulp (1 large can)
2c whipping cream
1-1/2c sugar
5-1/2c water
1 oz gelatine

Simmer gelatine, sugar and 3 1/2 cups water until the sugar and gelatine are dissolved. Mix the cream with 2 cups water and the mango puree. Add to the gelatine mixture.

Pour into a 13x9x2 inch pan, or in individual ramekins, and refrigerate.

You can use any combination of water and cream--I will often use 4 cups of cream and only 3.5 cups water. You can also increase the amount of mango pulp if you prefer a stronger mango flavour, and decrease the sugar if you prefer it less sweet. It's a very flexible recipe!

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