Baklava is the name given to a dessert that comes from the Middle East. It is also widely found in the Mediterranean and certain parts of Asia. It dates back to the Ottoman Empire. This pastry dessert is very dense in texture and sweet in taste. Because of how rich it is, it comes divided into small portions.
The dessert is comprised of a number of layers of filo pastry that have been filled with chopped up nuts and topped with syrup or honey. It is baked in a large pan, but the pastry is already cut into smaller slices before it goes into the oven. It can be cut into any shape, but rectangles, triangles or parallelograms are most commonly found.
To begin with, a number of phyllo dough layers are placed in a baking pan, with melted butter brushed on each layer to separate them. After a few layers, chopped nuts are sprinkled over the pastry to cover it; pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds are all possible options. This layer of nuts is then covered with another set of phyllo dough layers.
The cooked pastry is then covered with a very sweet flavored syrup. This syrup can be made of a number of ingredients, commonly honey and sometimes rosewater or other extracts. Turkish areas further amplify this dessert by eating it with ice cream of a milk cream flavor during the summer months, or a preparation named 'kaymak'.
Different countries in the region prepare it using different methods or ingredients. This could be for a number of various reasons, including religious. For example, in Greece, the dessert traditionally has thirty three layers of the pastry dough. The significance of this number is that it corresponds to the age of Jesus Christ.
Paklava is the name given to the dessert in Armenia. In this country, cloves and cinnamon are a part of the recipe. In the country of Georgia, vanilla and sour cream are two other ingredients that can be found. In Albania, the dough of the dessert can be made using egg yolks. While the dessert is quite rich in the Middle East, it tastes much lighter in Iran.
It is possible to buy phyllo dough in the frozen section of the grocery store. While there are many variations on how to make the dessert, it is not hard to make. Start by placing a couple of sheets of the dough in a pan that has been buttered and cover these sheets with melted butter. Repeat this process three more times. Once there are 8 layers of dough, cover the layers with a mixture of chopped nuts and cinnamon. Place two more layers of dough over the nuts, butter them and add more nuts.
Place about six or eight more layers on top of the final layer of nuts. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry into diamond shapes and put into an oven that has been preheated to 350 F for just under an hour. When it is finished baking, pour a syrup concoction of boiled water and white sugar simmered for 20 minutes with a tsp of vanilla extract and half a cup of honey.
The dessert is comprised of a number of layers of filo pastry that have been filled with chopped up nuts and topped with syrup or honey. It is baked in a large pan, but the pastry is already cut into smaller slices before it goes into the oven. It can be cut into any shape, but rectangles, triangles or parallelograms are most commonly found.
To begin with, a number of phyllo dough layers are placed in a baking pan, with melted butter brushed on each layer to separate them. After a few layers, chopped nuts are sprinkled over the pastry to cover it; pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds are all possible options. This layer of nuts is then covered with another set of phyllo dough layers.
The cooked pastry is then covered with a very sweet flavored syrup. This syrup can be made of a number of ingredients, commonly honey and sometimes rosewater or other extracts. Turkish areas further amplify this dessert by eating it with ice cream of a milk cream flavor during the summer months, or a preparation named 'kaymak'.
Different countries in the region prepare it using different methods or ingredients. This could be for a number of various reasons, including religious. For example, in Greece, the dessert traditionally has thirty three layers of the pastry dough. The significance of this number is that it corresponds to the age of Jesus Christ.
Paklava is the name given to the dessert in Armenia. In this country, cloves and cinnamon are a part of the recipe. In the country of Georgia, vanilla and sour cream are two other ingredients that can be found. In Albania, the dough of the dessert can be made using egg yolks. While the dessert is quite rich in the Middle East, it tastes much lighter in Iran.
It is possible to buy phyllo dough in the frozen section of the grocery store. While there are many variations on how to make the dessert, it is not hard to make. Start by placing a couple of sheets of the dough in a pan that has been buttered and cover these sheets with melted butter. Repeat this process three more times. Once there are 8 layers of dough, cover the layers with a mixture of chopped nuts and cinnamon. Place two more layers of dough over the nuts, butter them and add more nuts.
Place about six or eight more layers on top of the final layer of nuts. Use a sharp knife to cut the pastry into diamond shapes and put into an oven that has been preheated to 350 F for just under an hour. When it is finished baking, pour a syrup concoction of boiled water and white sugar simmered for 20 minutes with a tsp of vanilla extract and half a cup of honey.
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