1530. Desert Rose Baklava

This is a cute yet classy presentation of a baklawa. Pockets of layered buttery filo pastry hold nuggets of fragrant almond baked to an unbelievably crispy crunchy finish, all to be topped off with lashings upon lashings of honey.Despite what it looks like, it is much simpler than it seems. There is a little bit of basic technique in the process, but once you've wrapped your head around that it will become routine.

Ingredients:

1 pk filo pastry

200g melted butter

For the filling:

500g powdered almonds

1 cup powder sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp orange blossom

1/2 tsp vanilla

To finish:

6 Tbsp runny honey

Method:

Prepare the filling by mixing together the powder almonds, powder sugar, orange blossom, vanilla, and the egg until you have a malleable non-sticky dough. Shape into balls about 1.5cm in diameter; set aside.

On a clean working surface, layer three sheets of filo pastry, brushing generously with melted butter between each sheet. Cut into strips about 10cm wide.

Place the balls just above the middle of each strip, placing them about 4cm apart. Fold the strip over the filling using the long edge, and press the balls to flatten them in the fold.

Using a cup and a knife of a plain circular cookie cutter, cut out the enveloped filling, making sure to keep the fold at the bottom intact. Repeat until you have used up the filling and filo.

Arrange the resulting "petals" fold-side down in a round dish in concentric circles, effectively building a flower. Do not pack too tightly to ensure even cooking. Brush with extra melted butter.

Bake in a preheated 320F oven for 35-45 minutes until golden and crisp throughout.

While still hot from the oven, drizzle with the honey.

Cool completely before serving.

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