Snack

Baklava with Spiced Nuts, Ricotta & Chocolate

Name: Baklava with Spiced Nuts, Ricotta & Chocolate
Prep time: 55 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 100 min
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 500g sugar; lemon, juiced, to taste; 300g walnuts, crushed or blitzed; 200g pecan nuts, crushed or blitzed; 100g almonds, crushed or blitzed; 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon ground cardamom; 500g ricotta; lemon, zested, zest of 1; orange, zested, zest of 1; 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste; 250g unsalted butter, melted and skimmed; 500g filo pastry; 100g ground pistachios; 650ml water; dark chocolate, melted, as needed

Crisp rolled filo baklava filled with spiced nuts and citrus ricotta, soaked in lemon syrup and finished with dark chocolate and pistachios.

1 hr 40 min
220 kcal
Vegetarian
Turkish
Dessert

Mellowpan tip: Makes 48 servings, plenty to share.

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Baklava with Spiced Nuts, Ricotta & Chocolate

Ingredients

For 48 servings

Steps

Step 1:
Put the sugar and 650ml water in a large saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Step 2:
Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
15 min
Step 3:
Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
5 min
Step 4:
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat for 5 minutes, skimming and discarding any froth that rises to the surface.
5 min
Step 5:
Crush or blitz all the nuts until finely ground with a few chunky pieces remaining. Put them in a bowl, stir in the cinnamon and cardamom, and set aside.
Step 6:
Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest, orange zest, and vanilla bean paste in a separate bowl.
Step 7:
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the bottom of a large baking tray, about 35 x 47cm, with some melted butter.
Step 8:
Working with one filo sheet at a time and keeping the remaining sheets covered with a damp tea towel, lay a sheet on a board with a short end facing you.
Step 9:
Sprinkle 30g of the nut mixture evenly over the filo sheet. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture across the end nearest you.
Step 10:
Fold the near end over to enclose the filling. Place a long thin skewer next to the folded edge and roll the pastry around it into a long roll, about the thickness of a chipolata sausage.
Step 11:
Hold one end of the skewer, gently scrunch the filo roll like an accordion, then carefully push it off the skewer onto the prepared tray.
Step 12:
Repeat with the remaining filo and fillings to make about 12 rolls. Cut each roll into four for 48 large baklava, or into eight for 96 mini baklava.
Step 13:
Brush the rolls with the remaining melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes until evenly golden, turning the tray halfway through.
20–25 min
Step 14:
While the baklava is still hot, immediately pour over 5-6 ladlefuls of syrup. Leave to cool and absorb the syrup.
Step 15:
Melt the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water without letting the bowl touch the water, or melt it in short microwave bursts.
Step 16:
Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled baklava and sprinkle with the ground pistachios.