Baclava (Baklava)

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            Eu credeam ca baclavaua este extrem de complicat de facut si nici intr-un caz nu am indraznit pana acum sa experimentez. Cat de tare m-am putut insela nici acum nu-mi vine se cred :) desi mi se face foarte rar dor de gustul minunatului desert turcesc, trebuie sa recunosc ca baclavaua e una din prajiturile cele mai bune testate de mine! e dulce, aromata din cale afara si partea cea mai buna e ca nu poti manca foarte mult, deci nu te simti vinovat :)) postez reteta acum deoarece pentru mine baclavaua e un desert specific verii, nu ma intrebati de ce :) Pentru prima mea data cand o prepar a iesit grozav de bine zic eu, desi am invatat cate una alta si next time va fi sigur updated!
            I used to think that Baklava is a really sophisticated dessert to make and I didn't dare to explore this one. Oh boy, I can't believe how wrong I was :) though I rarely miss the taste of the wonderful Turkish dessert, I gotta admit that it's one of the best pastries I ever tasted! it's sweet, very flavorful and the best part is you can't eat too much of it, so you don't feel guilty :)) I'm posting the recipe now because Baklava is a summer dessert, don't ask me why though :) For my first time making I think it turned out great, though I learned some things now and it'll be updated by next time!

Ingrediente/Ingredients:                                                                          

Pentru foi/For the layers:
1 pachet de foi de placinta/1 package phyllo pastry
350 g nuca macinata/350 g ground walnuts
2 linguri zahar/2 tablespoons with sugar
1/2 lingurita scortisoara/1/2 teaspoon with cinnamon 
150 g unt/150 g butter

Pentru sirop/For the syrup:
 250 ml apa/250 ml water
 250 g zahar/250 g sugar
 2 linguri miere de albine/2 tablespoons with honey
 sucul de la 1/2 lamaie/juice from 1/2 lemon

Tava cu dimensiuni: 33 cm/22,9 cm/5,08 cm/Pan dimensions: 33cm/22,9 cm/5,08 cm


Cum se face/How it's done:


Mai intai preparam siropul: punem la fiert apa cu zaharul pentru vreo 15 minute cand incepe sa se ingroase usor. Dupa ce luam de pe foc, adaugam sucul de lamaie si mierea, amestecam si lasam sa se raceasca.
We first make the syrup: we boil the water with the sugar for 15 minutes until it begins to thicken a bit.We   remove it from the heat and we add the lemon juice and the honey, we stir and we let it cool.

Apoi, ne ocupam de foi. Totul merge foarte rapid daca le aveti toate la indemana. 

Then we make the layers. Everything goes smoothly if you have all you need handy.

 Desfacem pachetul de foi (decongelate in prealabil) si le punem sub un prosop umed ca sa le putem manevra mai usor. Punem untul topit si nuca amestecata cu zahar si scortisoara la indemana. Aducem tava si o pensula de bucatarie pentru a ne fi mai usor.
We take the phyllo layers out (they have to be thawed) and we place them under a wet towel so we can easily use them. We bring the melted butter and the walnuts mixed with sugar and cinnamon close and also the pan and a pastry brush to make things easier.

Impartim foile in 4-5 straturi, depinde cate vrem sa facem. Eu am facut 4 straturi, 3 cu cate 5 foi iar ultimul cu 4 foi; citisem undeva ca nu e bine sa fie foarte multe foi la ultimul strat. Sa fiti atenti la cat sunt de mari foile fata de tava, eu le-am lasat asa cu marginile pe langa tava, dar am vazut apoi ca e mai bine sa le tai sa fie la dimensiunea tavii. Foile trebuiesc unse foarte bine cu unt, deci fiti siguri ca aveti destul unt topit.
       Ungem tava cu unt bine si luam prima foaie de placinta, o punem in tava si o ungem cu unt topit bine. De fiecare data acoperim restul de foi cu prosopul umed (vedeti la mine in in stanga in poza)
We divide the sheets in 4-5 batches, depending on how many we want to use. I used 4 batches, 3 of 5 phyllo sheets and the one on top of 4 sheets; I've read somewhere that it's not recommended to use too many phyllo sheets on the top. Be careful to cut the layers according to the pan you'll use, I've left mine too big for the pan and then I've noticed it would've been easier to cut them. All phyllo sheets have to be very well brushed with melted butter so make sure you have enough of it. 
        We grease the pan very well with butter and then we add the first sheet of phyllo, and we brush it very well with butter on top. Every time we take a sheet, we cover the rest with the wet towel (you can see it in the left in my pic)

Continuam sa ungem cu unt alte 4 foi, exact la fel. Peste a 5-a foaie adaugam o treime din cantitatea de nuca, presarand uniform.
We continue to brush with butter other 4 sheets exactly the same way. On top of the 5th one we add a third part of the walnuts, spreading it well.

Continuam la fel cu alte 5 foi, iarasi nuca, etc pana terminam cantitatile. Nu uitati sa pensulati cu unt fiecare foaie in parte. Ultimul strat va fi de 4 foi unse. Dupa ce ungem foarte bine ultima foaie, cu un cutit foarte bine ascutit, taiem bucati baclavaua dupa modelul dorit.
We continue with another 5 sheets, again walnuts, etc, until we finish our layers. Don't forget to brush very well with butter each phyllo sheet. The last batch will be of 4 phyllo sheets. After we brush it with butter, using a very sharp knife we cut the baclava by the pattern we like.

Dam tava la cuptorul preincalzit la 185 grade pentru aproximativ 30 de minute, pana capata o culoare aurie frumoasa.
We place the pan in the preheated oven at 370 degrees for about 30 minutes, until it gets a beautiful golden color.

Dupa ce o scoatem din cuptor, punem siropul racit peste baclava. Nu va speriati ca ramane in tava sirop, acesta se va absorbi dupa ce sta baclavaua.
After we take it out from the oven, we pour the cooled syrup on top. Don't be afraid it's too much syrup, the pastry will absorb everything in a couple of hours. 

O lasam neacoperita vreo 3-4 ore bune, iar apoi o transferam in frigider, daca mai apuca :) Scoatem cateva bucatele si ne minunam cat poate fi de buna :)
We let it uncovered for 3-4 hours, and then we transfer it in the fridge, if you still have anything to be transferred :) We take out a couple of slices and we enjoy the marvelous taste it has :)

Dupa cum vedeti in poze, prima mea baclava e destul de micuta, data viitoare am sa o fac mai inalta din mai multe straturi. Altfel, mi s-a parut delicioasa, potrivit de dulce si zemoasa exact cat trebuie, ca mie nu-mi place deloc cea uscata rau :) va invit cu drag sa savurati o bucatica lipicioasa si aromata langa o cana de cafea, sau un ceai cum am facut eu! Bon appetit!
As you can see, my first time baklava is a bit short, next time I'm gonna make it taller using more phyllo sheets. Otherwise I found it to be delicious, not too sweet and just as juicy as I like it, I personally don't enjoy the dried out baklava :) I do invite all of you to have a sticky and flavorful piece next to a cup of coffee or a cup of tea, as I had! Bon appetit!