Baklava

This homemade baklava recipe comes from my mother, and uses orange blossom water instead of honey for a lighter syrup.

Ingredients

For the syrup

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups cane sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water

For the filling

• 1 cup pistachios
• 1 cup walnuts
• 3 tbsp cane sugar
• 2 tbsp orange blossom water

For the dough

• 1 box phyllo dough
• 1/2 cup butter

Directions

1. One night before:
2. Make simple syrup by mixing the sugar and water and bringing to a boil.
3. Just before boiling, add the lemon juice.
4. Remove from heat.
5. After cooled off, add the orange blossom water and stir.
6. Let refrigerate overnight.
7. Next day:
8. Chop the walnuts and pistachios, and in the meantime, bring oven up to 300 degrees.
9. Mix chopped nuts with sugar and orange blossom water.
10. Melt butter.
11. One at a time, take a sheet of phyllo dough, fold it 2/3, brush with melted butter, and spoon nuts vertically.
12. Roll tightly and brush top of roll with butter. Repeat until done.
13. Place rolls in oven and cook until golden brown, checking often.
14. After removing from the oven, pour syrup on top of the rolls and let cool.
15. Optionally, garnish with finely chopped pistachios. Cut into pieces and serve warm.