Baklava with Wildflower Honey

Balcer Rating: 4.5

Baklava with Wildflower Honey

Wildflower honey adds a delicate floral scent to this classic dessert, but almond honey would also work well in this recipe. If you can't find unsalted pistachios, use salted and omit the added 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Ingredients

• Syrup:
• 1 1/2 cups wildflower honey
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
  
• Filling:
• 2/3 cup unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup blanched unsalted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• Remaining ingredients:
• Cooking spray
• 24 (14 x 9-inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 1 tablespoon water

Preparation

To prepare syrup, combine honey, 1/2 cup water, juice, cloves, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over low heat; stir until honey is completely dissolved (about 2 minutes). Increase heat to medium; cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 230° (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; keep warm. Remove solids with a slotted spoon; discard.
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare filling, combine pistachios and next 6 ingredients (through salt); set aside.
Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), place 1 phyllo sheet lengthwise in bottom of prepared pan, allowing end of sheet to extend over edges of dish; lightly coat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with 5 phyllo sheets and cooking spray for a total of 6 layers. Sprinkle phyllo evenly with one-third of nut mixture (about 2/3 cup). Repeat procedure with phyllo, cooking spray, and nut mixture 2 more times. Top last layer of nut mixture with remaining 6 sheets phyllo, each one lightly coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat top phyllo sheet with cooking spray; press baklava gently into pan. Sprinkle baklava surface with 1 tablespoon water.
Make 3 even lengthwise cuts and 7 even crosswise cuts to form 32 portions using a sharp knife. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until the phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven. Drizzle honey mixture evenly over baklava. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Store covered at room temperature.

This finished product:

It tastes pretty good for my first attempt. I did find that I didn't put enough oil between the sheets so many of them didn't stay together. Some of the pieces were a little too dry, so I would make more of the syrup for the next batch!