Baklava with spiced nuts, ricotta & chocolate

Name: Baklava with spiced nuts, ricotta & chocolate
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 1.1 lb sugar; To taste lemon juice; 11 oz walnuts; 7 oz pecan nuts; 3 ½ oz almonds; 2 tbsp ground cinnamon; 1 tbsp ground cardomom; 1.1 lb ricotta; Zest of 1 lemon; Zest of 1 orange; 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste; 9 oz unsalted butter; 1.1 lb filo pastry; 3 ½ oz ground pistachios

A Turkish dessert. Ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes. Difficulty: medium.

25 minPrep (about)
50 minCook (about)
1 hr 15 minTotal time
4Servings
MediumDifficulty

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Ingredients

How many people?

− 3 people +

Changed from 4 to 3 people · Back to 4

13 oz sugar
To taste lemon juice
8 oz walnuts
5 oz pecan nuts
2 ⅔ oz almonds
2 ¼ tsp ground cardomom
13 oz ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
2 ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
7 oz unsalted butter
13 oz filo pastry
2 ⅔ oz ground pistachios

Spices & seasonings (1): ground cinnamon

1 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon

How to make it

Steps in our own plain words.

Make the syrup.
Tip the sugar into a large pot with 2 ¾ cups water.
Mix over a low heat till the sugar has dissolved.
Turn up the heat.
Bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down to a simmer.
Cook for 15 mins.
Squeeze in some drops of lemon juice.
Simmer for a further 5 mins.
Take it off the heat.
Leave to cool.
While that cooks, for assembling your baklava later, melt the butter in a little pan over a low heat for discarding any froth that, skimming and 5 mins rises to the surface.
For your filling, crush all of your nuts in a pestle plus mortar, or blitz in food processor – you want a mix of finely ground nuts with some chunky pieces.
Tip into a bowl.
Stir through the spices.
Set aside.
Mix your ricotta using the lemon and orange zests and vanilla in a separate bowl.
Turn the oven on to 350°F (325°F for a fan oven).
Brush the bottom of a big baking tray (around 35 x 18 inches) using some of the melted butter.
Working using one sheet of filo at a time, lay your sheet out on board so one of your short ends is facing you.
Sprinkle ⅔ oz of the nut mixture over the whole sheet.
Spoon 2 ¼ tsp of the ricotta mix across the end closest to you.
Fold this end over to enclose your filling.
Lay a long, thin skewer next to your folded edge.
Roll your pastry around it to create long roll.
Wait until it’s fully rolled up.
It should be roughly your thickness of a chipolata sausage.
Repeat using the rest of your filo and fillings – you should get around 12 rolls.
Cut every roll in four to make 48 big baklava, or eight to make 96 mini.
Brush with the remaining melted butter.
Bake for 20-25 mins until golden, turning the tray around halfway through.
While still hot, right away pour over 5-6 ladlefuls of your syrup.
Hear your syrup sizzle as it hits your hot baklava.
Set aside to cool and absorb.
Melt your dark chocolate in heatproof bowl set over pan of simmering water, ensuring your bowl doesn’t touch your water, or in your microwave in short bursts.
Drizzle this over the cooled baklava.
Sprinkle with the ground pistachios.