Halvah Baklava {from Kosher by Design Brings it Home}
It's Monday. And this is a recipe post. Even though it's not Wednesday.
Yes, you're getting two new recipes this week! YAYAYAY.
But let's talk about this recipe. This Baklava. This Halvah Baklava. Which is straight out of Susie Fishbein's new cookbook, Kosher by Design Brings it Home. Which also happens to be the last in Susie's celebrated "Kosher by Design" series. We'll cry together.
The cookbook is so new, in fact, that it hasn't even been released yet. The book will be available in stores in a few weeks, but can be pre-ordered online now from this link here.
But today you're getting a sneak preview of one of the dessert recipes from this cookbook. Weeks before the general population can get their hands on it. Consider yourself blessed.
So let's discuss this Baklava. If you've never heard of this pastry, don't worry - I'm about to tell you all about it. Because I'm very excited to finally be able to talk about it with a willing audience.
Baklava is a Middle Eastern dessert made from layers of Phyllo sheets. The ones from the frozen section of your supermarket. The sheets are layered one on top of the other, each layer getting a generous brushing of oil or melted butter. Then, the layered, buttered sheets are topped with a mixture of crushed nuts and are rolled up jellyroll style. The rolls are then baked, and once removed from the oven, are immediately drizzled all over with a sticky-sweet syrup made from honey and sugar and lemon juice and water. And that's it.
Yes, it's amazing as it sounds. But what makes this Baklava recipe even more amazing is the addition of Halvah to the filling. To quote directly from Susie's cookbook, "The richness that the halvah adds to the baklava is outrageous." I'd have to agree. I'd certainly have to.
And now let me describe Halvah, just in case you're ignorant about Halvah as well.
Halvah is a thick, dense, fudgy bar that's usually a mixture of sesame seeds (tahini) and sugar. It's sweet, it's crumbly, it's soft, it's rich, and it's incredible. And you can probably find it at your local supermarket in the candy section.
Halvah has a very distinct flavor, so some people might not go for it. Personally, GIVE ME ALL THE HALVAH. Now.
Oh, one more thing. One more super exciting thing. There's a huge GIVEAWAY happening as part of the release of the cookbook. Artscroll, the cookbook's publishing company, is giving away over $1000 in prizes! I'm very serious.
Here are the prizes:
Just in case the visuals above aren't enough, allow me to write out the list of prizes again:
1. Grand Prize: A $500 Visa gift card
2. Second Prize: A Bosch Mixer
3. Third Prize: A COMPLETE set of AUTOGRAPHED Kosher by Design Cookbooks
To enter into the raffle for this giveaway, you have to have a mailing address in the USA, subscribe to my email list (found towards the top of the sidebar), and follow the rest of the raffle guidelines.
Below is the widget where you enter the giveaway raffle. Just follow the instructions:
Oh yeah, aside from the above spoils, I'm also giving away an additional signed copy of Kosher By Design Brings it Home. No biggie. More details on my Instagram coming up. So keep an eye out.
Halvah Baklava
Recipe from "Kosher by Design Brings it home"
Yield: 20-25 slices (10-12 servings)
PASTRY:
15 sheets (from a 1-pound box) phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
1⁄2 cup canola oil (or melted butter)
FILLING:
1 cup roasted pistachios
1 cup roasted almonds
1 cup roasted pecans
1 pound halvah, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
HONEY SYRUP:
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup honey
2 cups water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Filling: Place all filling ingredients into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal “S” blade. Pulse until ground but not a paste. Set aside.
Syrup: Place all syrup ingredients into a medium pot. Over medium heat, bring to just a boil. Turn down to a simmer; cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Place a sheet of phyllo lengthwise on the work surface. Brush with canola oil or melted butter. Top with another layer of phyllo. Brush with oil. Top with a third layer of phyllo and brush with oil again. Roll all four edges 1⁄2-inch inward to make a raised frame/border. Brush rolled edges with oil.
Spread a thick layer of the nut filling over the phyllo. Starting with a short end, roll up, jellyroll fashion; transfer to prepared sheet.
Repeat the whole process, making 4 more rolled logs. Brush the outside of the logs with oil/melted butter. Using a serrated knife, cut 4 diagonal slits across the top of each of the 5 logs.
Bake, uncovered, for 12 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and immediately spoon the syrup over the logs.
Slice each log into 4-5 slices. Serve 2 slices to a plate. Drizzle with more syrup around the plate.
On a completely unrelated note, yep:
photo from dump a day dot com
