For more than 40 years, Angie Bournias of Grosse Pointe Shores has made baklava for Christmas.
She learned how to make the traditional Greek pastry from her late father-in-law, Nick Bournias.
“He told about crumpling up the phyllo sheet and baking the baklava slow in a 325-degree oven,” she says.
Since then, Bournias has carried on the tradition and now makes it with her grandchildren.
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“This is one of those family recipes that are best taught to the children while making it together,” says Bournias. “They love the job of brushing the butter, and as they grow older, become meticulous with the job.”
Bournias says she hopes “they will remember those little tips and carry it on.”
Bournias’ tips: Use lemon juice in the syrup to prevent it from crystallizing. And be sure to keep the phyllo covered to prevent it from drying out. Baking the baklava in a low oven ensures that it bakes evenly, doesn’t brown too much on the top or bottom and allows the layers in between to crisp.
Nick’s Baklava
Makes: About 30 pieces / Preparation time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours (not all active time)
SYRUP 2 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 stick cinnamon 1⁄3 cup honey BAKLAVA 4 cups chopped walnuts (6 cups walnut halves equals this amount), or use chopped almonds, pecans or pistachios 1½ cups granulated sugar 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon l pound phyllo dough, thawed 3 sticks (or more as needed) unsalted butter, melted
Have ready a 9-by-13-inch rectangular stainless, glass or heavy aluminum foil baking pan.
To make the syrup: In a saucepan combine all the syrup ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, make the baklava. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl combine the nuts, sugar and cinnamon. Taste the mixture and make sure it has the right balance of cinnamon. Set aside.
Lay out the thawed phyllo and cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Using a pastry brush, brush pan bottom and sides evenly with butter; place one sheet of phyllo in the pan, brush again. Add 3 more sheets, brushing each one with the butter. Crumple a phyllo sheet into smaller pieces and place on top of the 4 buttered sheets. Add one more sheet and brush with butter again. Sprinkle one-quarter of the nut mixture evenly over entire pan.
Repeat process with phyllo sheets, butter, crumpled phyllo sheet, another phyllo sheet and then the nut mixture so that you have four layers of nuts. Finish pan with another phyllo layer, butter, phyllo, butter, crumpled phyllo, and two more top layers. Tuck sides all around the pan under, brush again with butter.
Before baking, use a sharp knife to cut through the baklava into the size pieces you want. At this point the baklava can be frozen, unbaked. (When ready to use, place in a 325-degree oven without thawing.)
Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot pan directly from the oven. It will sizzle and rise up. Do not cover. When cool, loosely cover with foil.
From Angie Bournias, Grosse Pointe Shores.
Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Nutrition information not available.Images:
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