Loading ...National Baklava Day: The Pastry Rich with Flavor and History
By: Blanche Shaheen/ Arab America Contributing Writer
November 17th is National Baklava Day, and while some people might find a national day dedicated to a pastry a bit silly, baklava deserves an honorary place in baking history as a beautiful representation of peace. This delicacy, which originated in the 8th century B.C., is truely a collaboration of effort among many Middle Eastern cultures, from the Assyrians and Greeks, to the Arabs and Armenians.
Historically baklava was considered a specialty for the rich until the mid-19th century. Later, Greek seamen and merchants traveling towards Mesopotamia soon discovered the delights of Baklava and brought the recipe to Athens. The Greeks’ major contribution to the development of this pastry is the creation of thin phyllo (or filo which means leaf in Greek) to replace the original bread-like dough. They also called the dessert Baklava.
The Armenians, who had access to the main spice routes, incorporated cinnamon and cloves into the dessert. Then, the Arabs introduced rose-water and cardamom to the pastry, and renamed the dessert “Baklawa.” Celebrating National Baklava day not only commemorates this confection, it is also a tribute to this collaborative effort among countries.
Now you too can participate in National Baklava Day by trying your hand at this ancient dessert with a modern twist. While some people might find the process intimidating, once you achieve success you will feel a satisfying sense of achievement. The following recipe has been adapted just in time for Thanksgiving, as a Baklava Pie. This pie is similar to pecan pie, only loaded with pistachios and walnuts and enveloped with a buttery and crispy phyllo crust.
To see the technique, click on the video below:
Baklava Pie
For the Crust
- 20 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed overnight
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 stick butter, melted
For the Filling
- ½ stick or 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- ½ cup date sugar (can also use coconut sugar)
- ¾ cup date molasses (or any kind of liquid sweetener you prefer, from honey to molasses)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup roughly chopped pistachios
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a 9-inch pie plate on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Defrost then unwrap the phyllo dough onto a cookie sheet. Cover with a slightly damp kitchen towel to prevent drying and cracking).
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon and nutmeg to combine.
- Put a pie plate over the phyllo dough, and cut so that there is enough dough to cover the bottom of the plate, as well as some extra to fold over the top. Place two sheets of dough onto the pie plate, then brush it all over with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with the sugar mixture to coat. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.
- Transfer the layered phyllo dough to the pie plate, allowing the excess to hang over the edge. Cover the crust with a damp paper towel while you prepare the filling.
- For the filling, whisk the melted butter with the date sugar, date molasses, vanilla extract and salt to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the eggs to the molasses mixture and combine.
- Uncover the dough and put the pistachios and walnuts inside the crust. Pour the filling over the nuts.
- Fold the excess crust over the filling, then brush the crust with more melted butter.
- Bake until the crust is golden and the custard is set, about 35 minutes- check on it because different oven settings can vary. Cool completely, serve with whipped cream if desired.
Blanche Shaheen is an Emmy Award winning journalist, host of the YouTube cooking show called Feast in the Middle East, and cookbook author. For more authentic and classical Middle Eastern recipes, you can purchase her cookbook, “Feast In the Middle East here: https://secure.mybookorders.com/mbo_index.php?isbn=9781545675113 For her cooking video tutorials, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/blanchetv Her recipes can also be found at https://feastinthemiddleeast.wordpress.com/
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