Pecan Baklava

Beginner Cook - Lengthy Cooking Time - Desert - Vegan Option - Vegetarian

The holidays are upon us! Pumpkin pie, gingerbread cookies, cinnamon buns; this time of year is filled with delicious spiced sweet treats. In our home, that means baking all of the above as well as baklava. While most baklava is made with walnuts, almonds, or pistachios, I opt for pecans, which are in season and grown locally, and work beautifully in this recipe. Think Greek style pecan pie! Yet again, our family recipe calls for olive oil not butter. While baking a sweet dish with olive oil may seem odd, it tastes great when using ingredients with flavors such as nuts, spices, and honey, not to mention the health benefits. The recipe is the same for all nuts. 

Ingredients (Yields about 36 pieces)

• 1 pound pecans
• 1 pound thawed phyllo dough 
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground clove
• 36 whole cloves
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup honey (optional)*
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1.5 cups water

* If opting to not use honey, substitute with 1 additional cup of sugar

Time - 7 hours and 10 minutes (includes 6 hours inactive time)

• Preparation - 30 minutes
• Baking (350 degrees) - 40 minutes

Preparation

• For this recipe, I opted to grind fresh cinnamon and clove. If you have the time and inclination, give it a try. The smells of freshly ground spices add to the fun and sensory experience of preparing this dish as well as flavor 
• To grate the cinnamon use a microplane grater

• Once you have grated 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, place it in a mortar with one whole clove and grind with a pestle until the consistency of powder
  

• Grind the pecans, combine with the spices in a large bowl, and set aside
• Preheat the oven at 350 degrees

• Open and unroll the thawed phyllo. Once unrolled, the dough will begin to dry, to slow the drying process, cover the dough with a damp cloth
• Cut the phyllo to fit the pan

• Brush the pan with olive oil
• Layer 7-8 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with olive oil before layering the next one

• If you have excess dough on the sides of the pan, cut with a sharp knife

• Pour half of the pecans and spread evenly in the pan

• Layer 3 more sheets of phyllo on top of the pecans, brushing each sheet with olive oil
• Pour the remaining pecans on top of the phyllo and spread evenly
• Layer the remaining sheets of phyllo, again, brushing each sheet with olive oil
• Using a sharp knife, cut diagonally across the pan. Begin with the center cut making 2-3 additional diagonal cuts on the left and right of the center cut
• Repeat the process in the opposing diagonal, forming a triangle and diamond pattern

• Place a whole clove in the center of each piece and brush the top of each clove with a touch of olive oil (remove the clove when eating the baklava)
  

• Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown
• While the baklava is baking, prepare the syrup by combining the sugar, honey, lemon and water in a pot and bring to a boil
• Once the syrup reaches a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on the syrup while it is cooking. If too hot, the syrup will boil over

• Once the baklava is baked, slowly pour the syrup all over the warm baklava and let sit uncovered for a minimum of 6 hours (most recommend overnight)
  

• When storing the baklava, cover it so that it does not dry out. It is best stored at room temperature or can be frozen and enjoyed at a later date