Infused Baklava
Hey friends, hope all is well! Have you ever wondered how to make baklava? Well, this month I'm going to teach you how to do it. I would like to preface it with this: it is going to taste absolutely delicious, and is totally worth all of the time, effort, and determination you're going to need to make this recipe come to life. Baklava is one of my many pastry loves, and I hear that it's one of yours, too. Since this recipe is easy and complex at the same time, I figured the best way to infuse it would be using the Aeriz dablicators. I love using Aeriz dablicators for my recipes because they don't need to be decarbed, making the infusion simple and easy… plus, they taste amazing! Make sure to stop by Marigold dispensary, home of Aeriz, for the best stock of dablicators to choose from. You'll also need to find phyllo dough, which I had a bit of a tough time trying to find. I was able to find it at Fry's in the freezer section. Word to the wise, brushing 40 sheets of phyllo dough with butter is a doozie, so medicate accordingly! Ok, now, let's get to it… that phyllo dough won't brush itself! Also, invite your friends to gush over your infused labor of love. Enjoy!
Yield: 48 triangle pieces - 15mg each
Prep Time: 1 ½ hour
Tools to make this recipe: saucepan, bowls, brush, knife, measuring cups/spoons, cookie sheet, parchment paper, baking pan or casserole dish, spray bottle, squeeze bottle.
Ingredients
16 oz Phyllo dough, thawed (rest at room temp for 1 hour before start)
16 oz Unsalted butter, melted
1 lb Walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp Cinnamon, ground
1 cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Lemon juice, approx ½ lemon
¾ cup Water
½ cup Honey
1 - 2 Aeriz FSHO dablicator, 1g
Instructions
The medication. Think about how much medication you want each baklava piece to be. Depending on if you want them around 15 or 30 mg a piece determines if you need 1 or 2 dablicators. Since you’ll end up with 30 pieces, if you want 15mg pieces, use 1 dablicator. Alternatively, if you want 30mg pieces, use 2 dablicators.
The dough. Thaw your phyllo dough according to the package instructions. Go ahead and leave the dough out on the counter for 1 hour, then trim phyllo dough to fit your baking dish. You can choose to trim the edges or not. I personally build this on a cookie sheet and a sheet tray extender so that I don’t lose phyllo dough… it’s too good to throw away. If you need to trim the edges, trim one stack at a time. Open the packs one at a time, then cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out. Butter the bottom of your baking pan and extender, if you have that instead of a casserole dish.
The honey sauce. Before you begin building your phyllo sheets, start the honey sauce, so it has time to cool while the baklava bakes. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, honey, lemon juice, and water. Bring mixture to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium/low, and boil an additional 4 min without stirring. Reduce heat to low, and thoroughly mix in the dablicator into your honey sauce for the next minute. Remove your saucepan from the heat and let the syrup cool while preparing your baklava.
The filling. Chop the walnuts until they are coarsely ground. You’ll want some small chunks, but also a finer chop too. In a bowl, put 4 cups finely chopped walnuts and mix in 1 tsp cinnamon, then set aside. Fill your spray bottle with water.
Assembly. Place 1 phyllo sheet into the pan, brushing with melted butter, one by one, until you have brushed 10 phyllo sheets. I like to spray the phyllo sheets with water if they’re getting dry. Make sure to keep the remaining phyllo covered with a damp towel at all times. Spread about ¾ cup of nut mixture over the phyllo dough. Continue this process, in the following pattern: 10 phyllo sheets, ¾ cup walnut mix, 5 phyllo sheets, ¾ cup walnut mix, 5 phyllo sheets, ¾ cup walnut mix, 5 phyllo sheets, ¾ cup walnut mix, 5 phyllo sheets, ¾ cup walnut mix, and then 10 phyllo sheets. Make sure to brush the top sheet.
Pieces/dosing. Next, cut the phyllo dough into pieces. You’ll want to cut the dough into 6 pieces (5 cuts) on the long side, and into 4 pieces (3 cuts) on the short end. Then cut those squares into triangles. Bake at 325˚F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Pour honey sauce into a squeeze bottle. Remove your baklava from the oven, and immediately squeeze your cooled infused syrup evenly over the hot baklava. You will hear it pop and crack as you squeeze the bottle. Doing this step in this moment is what makes it crisp rather than soggy.
Resting. Let baklava cool completely, uncovered and at room temp. I like to eat it immediately, but for most melded flavor, allow for the baklava to rest 4-6 hours or overnight at room temp, so the honey syrup can saturate the layers. Garnish with any leftover nuts. Store at room temp, covered with a tea towel for 1 to 2 weeks, in the fridge for 4 weeks, or 3 months in the freezer.
Did you make this baklava? Post a photo with #CannabisCactusRecipes. We love to see your work!
If you have any questions, send me an email at rubyredconfections@gmail.com or Instagram or FB @RubyRedConfections.