Baklava

Baklava is a two-person job. Without someone to hold each of the 35 sheets of phyllo dough in place while they are buttered, you have a slippin' slidin' mess. The back-up brain comes in handy, too, when you forget if this is sheet seven or nine of the phyllo. I had to make myself a little chart to keep track of the layers (N = nuts):

I've been asked if this is the "real" recipe, because it uses simple syrup rather than honey. I think it is - it's a family recipe from the kitchen of a Greek Orthodox priest.

GREEK BAKLAVA

4 cups walnuts, ground
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 lb package of phyllo dough (I use Filo brand)
1 lb. butter, melted
Syrup: 3 cups sugar, 1 TBS. lemon juice, 1-1/2 cups water. Combine in saucepan and heat to boiling. Cool to 120 degrees and cover.
 Open phyllo and cut sheets to fit in a 9 x 13 pan. Cover dough lightly with a damp (not wet!) cloth. Combine nuts, sugar and spices and blend well. Brush bottom of pan with melted butter. Lay down one sheet of phyllo, and brush with butter. Continue, brushing each sheet with butter, until you have laid down 10 sheets. Top the 10th sheet with about a third of the nut mixture. Cover with another sheet of phyllo and butter. Add 4 more sheets, then add another layer of nuts. Repeat once more. Top the final layer of nuts with 10 sheets of phyllo, buttering each. Carefully cut baklava into diamond shapes with a very sharp knife, by cutting on the diagonal. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake 45 minutes longer or until golden brown. Remove from oven and re-cut, then pour cooled syrup over the hot baklava. Let it sit for a few hours to allow the syrup to be absorbed before eating.