Best Apricot Baklava Recipes
APRICOT AND PISTACHIO BAKLAVA WITH ORANGE CARDAMOM SYRUP
I love Baklava and this take on the traditional gets a bit of tang from the citrus. This should be kept at room temerature. Tip: Use California apricots for a tart, pronounced apricot flavor or Turkish apricots for a sweeter, mellow flavor. From Fine Cooking
Provided by cookiedog
Categories < 4 Hours
Time 1h25m
Yield 30 pieces
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Thaw the phyllo overnight in the refrigerator. Then put the phyllo box on the counter to come to room temperature, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
- Make the filling: Put the pistachios, apricots, and sugar in a food processor. Process until the nuts and apricots are finely chopped (the largest should be the size of small dried lentils), 30 to 45 seconds. Set aside.
- Assemble the baklava: Unfold one pack of the phyllo sheets and stack them so that they lie flat on your work surface. Cover the top with plastic wrap, letting some excess plastic fall over all four edges. Dampen and wring out a kitchen towel and drape it on top of the plastic wrap; this will hold the plastic in place and prevent the phyllo from drying out.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Brush the bottom of a 9x13-inch metal pan (preferably with straight sides and a light-color interior to prevent overbrowning on the edges) with some of the butter. Remove a sheet of phyllo from the stack, re-cover the rest (be sure to cover the remaining sheets each time you remove a new one), and put the sheet in the bottom of the pan. Brush the sheet with some of the melted butter but don't soak the phyllo (remember, you'll have about 40 layers of buttered phyllo by the time you're done). Repeat until you have layered and buttered about half the sheets from the first pack-about 10 sheets in all. If your pan has slightly angled sides, arrange the sheets so the excess falls on the same side of the pan and cut the extra off every few layers with a paring knife. Sprinkle about one-third of the filling evenly over the phyllo.
- Repeat layering and buttering the remaining sheets from the first pack and sprinkle on another third of the filling. Open, unfold, and cover the second pack of phyllo. Layer and butter it as described above, sprinkling the remaining filling after layering about half the phyllo, and ending with a final layer of phyllo (you may not need all of the butter). Cover loosely and put the pan of baklava in the freezer for 30 minutes (this makes it much easier to cut the pastry).
- Bake the baklava: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Before baking, use a thin, sharp knife, preferably serrated,and a gentle sawing motion to cut the baklava on the diagonal at 1-1/2-inch intervals in a diamond pattern. Try not to compress the pastry by pressing down on it with one hand while cutting with the other. Not only are you cutting serving portions, you are also cutting pathways for the flavored syrup to permeate the pastry, so be sure to cut the pastry all the way to the bottom of the pan. If you have an electric carving knife, pull it out and use it now. Bake the baklava until golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely. Run a knife along the cut lines to help the syrup absorb evenly.
- Make the syrup: Simmer the sugar and orange juice in a small pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cardamom. Pour the syrup evenly over the entire surface of the baklava, allowing it to run down into the cut marks and along the sides of the pan. Allow the baklava to cool to room temperature before serving.
- Make Ahead Tips. The baklava is at its best about 24 hours after the syrup is added. It will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days, though the texture changes from flaky and crisp to more solid and crystallized as time goes by.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 259.4, Fat 13.7, SaturatedFat 5.7, Cholesterol 20.3, Sodium 75.5, Carbohydrate 32.6, Fiber 2.4, Sugar 21.1, Protein 4
APRICOT BAKLAVA
This is my first attempt at working with Filo and I ruined a couple of sheets before getting the hang of it. I wanted to do a dessert and this seemed like a natural. I actually made 4 different flavors but the one everyone liked the best is the one I will post. 1. vanilla 2. vanilla and brown sugar 3. coconut 4. coconut and brown sugar. The apricot flavored white wine I used was Fetzer's Gewurztraminer. uh huh, uh huh...... For white sugar, I use bakers sugar - it's a little finer and dissolves faster. Time does not include soaking raisins.
Provided by CoolMonday
Categories Dessert
Time 2h15m
Yield 25 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Warm 3/4 cup wine in saucepan and remove from heat
- Add raisins and soak for 2 - 4 hours
- Put apricots in saucepan and cover with water
- Bring to boil and simmer for 40-45 minutes till very tender
- Drain and reserve liquid if any left
- Process apricots in food processor or mash till smooth
- Put in large bowl
- Add drained raisins, reserving the wine
- Mix in white sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp wine (from the raisins), vanilla, brown sugar
- Allow to cool
- Mix in cashews
- Butter a 13X9X2 baking pan
- Open filo sheets and cut to size of pan
- Process one at a time keeping the rest covered
- Brush butter on top of one sheet and place in pan
- Repeat with 10 sheets one at a time and layer them in pan
- Cover last sheet with apricot mixture
- Cover with the next 10 filo sheets buttering each one as before
- Slice through the top layers diagonally to create diamonds
- Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes till brown on top
- Put on rack to cool before adding syrup
- SYRUP
- In saucepan mix honey, water, nectar (reserved from apricots), sugar, vanilla and wine (from the raisins)
- Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes
- Allow to cool completely
- Drizzle on Baklava
- Cover and cool for several hours
- Best if cooled overnight
Nutrition Facts : Calories 224.9, Fat 9.1, SaturatedFat 4.2, Cholesterol 14.6, Sodium 112.1, Carbohydrate 35.2, Fiber 1.3, Sugar 23.6, Protein 2.4
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The Origin of Baklava
Baklava has a long and fascinating history that dates back to ancient times. The origins of baklava are unclear and disputed, as the recipe has evolved over centuries and went through various cultural and geographical influences. Some historians believe that baklava originated in Assyria, a civilization that existed in Mesopotamia around 800 B.C. Others claimed that the recipe came from the Ottoman Empire, which ruled a vast region that encompassed modern-day Turkey, Greece, Balkans, and the Middle East. According to some sources, Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, a famous ruler of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, had a sweet tooth and patronized many pastry chefs, who created different variations of baklava. It became so popular that it spread to neighboring countries and beyond, becoming an iconic dessert of the Mediterranean and the Middle East.The Anatomy of Apricot Baklava
Apricot baklava is a variant of the classic recipe, where dried apricots replace the nuts as the main filling. The pastry consisting of many layers of thin phyllo, brushed with butter or oil, forms a crispy and flaky crust that contrasts with the soft and chewy texture of the apricots. The syrup or honey that soaks the pastry enhances its sweetness and adds a fragrant aroma of cinnamon or cardamom, depending on your preference.Ingredients:
- 1 pound phyllo dough
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking dish with butter.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, water, honey, cinnamon, and cardamom. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
- To assemble the baklava, brush a sheet of phyllo dough with melted butter and place it in the baking dish. Repeat the process, stacking up to 10 layers of phyllo.
- Sprinkle chopped apricots evenly over the top layer of phyllo. Cover the apricots with another 5 layers of phyllo, brushing each layer with butter.
- Cut the baklava into diamond-shaped pieces or squares with a sharp knife.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
- Pour the cooled syrup generously over the hot baklava, making sure it seeps into the cuts. Let the baklava cool for 3-4 hours before serving.
Variations and Alternatives
Apricot baklava is a versatile dessert that allows for many variations and creative twists. Here are some ideas to experiment with:- Replace dried apricots with other types of fruits, such as cherries, berries, or figs.
- Combine different nuts, such as almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts, with the apricots for a crunchy and rich filling.
- Use phyllo dough sheets that are smaller or larger, depending on your preference.
- Try different types of syrups, such as maple or rosewater, to enhance the flavor of the pastry.
- For a vegan or dairy-free option, use margarine or coconut oil instead of butter.
- If you don't like the sweetness, pair the baklava with unsweetened tea or coffee to balance the flavors.