Apricot Pistachio Baklava with Orange-Cardamom Syrup

Instructions

Prepare the Filling

Place the pistachios, apricots, and sugar into the bowl of a food processor; pulse the food processor as as needed to process the filling mixture until it is finely chopped, about the size and texture of dried lentils.

Prepare the Phyllo Dough for Assembly

Once you've prepared the filling, remove the box of phyllo sheets from refrigeration, letting them sit on the counter for 20 minutes, still in the box, just to remove some of the chill. (This will make each sheet of phyllo easier to work with.)
Open one package of the phyllo dough from the box (Athens phyllo comes with 2 rolls in each box, each one individually wrapped and containing 20 sheets).
Open the roll of phyllo sheet on the rimmed baking sheet, then immediately cover the stack with a big sheet of plastic wrap, making sure none of the phyllo dough is exposed - you may need to two sheets of plastic wrap place side-by-side.
Now place a damp kitchen towel over the top of the plastic wrap and the stack of phyllo sheets, taking care that no part of the damp towel touches any part of the phyllo dough, just the plastic wrap.
Let the phyllo dough rest and relax, covered, on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, allowing to absorb just a bit of moisture from the moistened towel.

Assemble the Baklava

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; keep just warm enough that the butter stays in a melted state.
Using a pastry brush, liberally brush the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with some of the melted butter.
Uncover the stack of phyllo dough, quickly removing a single sheet of phyllo, placing it into the bottom of the buttered pan; use the silicone brush to dab the sheet of phyllo dough with a bit of butter, here and there.
While you are placing the phyllo into the bottom of the pan and dabbing it with melted butter, your partner should be immediately covering the the stack of phyllo sheets with the plastic wrap and towel again.
Now you can see why you really need 4 hands to manage the phyllo dough and make a pan of baklava!
Also, since you are going to be using 40 sheets of phyllo dough over the course of making a pan of baklava, you really don't need to brush each and every sheet completely with butter. By the time you get to the end of the baklava assembly, you'll have plenty of butter in there, trust me!
Repeat with 9 more sheets of phyllo dough, continuing to lay down each one down, then buttering it. Once you have 10 sheets of phyllo in the pan, sprinkle one-third of the prepared apricot/pistachio filling over the top, spreading it out evenly in a single layer.
Repeat the layering and buttering with 10 more sheets of phyllo dough, then add another one-third of the prepared apricot/pistachio filling; now repeat once more, ending with the final one-third of the filling on top.
Add the last 10 sheets of phyllo dough, continuing to dab melted butter on top of each one, just like you've already done with the previous 30 sheets in the pan of baklava.
**If you run out of melted butter towards the end of the layer process, just melt a bit more, but never use more than 2 cups of melted butter total.
Now, cover the baking pan of baklava loosely with plastic wrap, placing it into the freezer for 20 minutes. **Placing the baklava into the freezer at this point makes scoring the baklava much easier - don't skip this step.

Bake the Baklava

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven.
After 20 minutes, remove the pan of baklava from the freezer.
Using an electric knife, slice the baklava on the diagonal at 1 1/2-inch intervals, making sure to cut down through all the layers as you go. Now do the same slices going the opposite way on the diagonal in 1 1/2-inch intervals, creating a diamond pattern across the entire pan of baklava.
Bake the baklava, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes or until it is golden brown on the top and the bottom. Transfer the pan of baklava to a cooling rack and let it cool completely.

Prepare the Syrup

As the baklava is baking, prepare the orange-cardamom syrup. Place the sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cardamom, and salt into a medium sauce pan over medium heat, bringing it to a simmer. Stir the syrup occasionally, cooking it just until the sugar is fully dissolved and the syrup is clear, about 5 minutes.

Finish the Baklava

Gently run a sharp knife along the incisions that have been cut into the baklava, making sure that each one is fully sliced all the way to the bottom of the pan.
Now, pour the warm syrup evenly over the entire surface of the baklava, allowing it to run down into the incisions sliced across the baklava, and also along the very edges of the pan. Let the baklava cool to room temperature before slicing the pieces and removing them from the pan.

Apricot Pistachio Baklava with Orange-Cardamom Syrup

Save this Recipe

Ingredients

Pastry

Filling

Syrup

Instructions

Prepare the Filling

Prepare the Phyllo Dough for Assembly

Assemble the Baklava

Bake the Baklava

Prepare the Syrup

Finish the Baklava

Notes

Nutrition

Nutritional Disclaimer