Do you love good baklava but don't know where to get it? Then I have good news for you. You don't have to go far to get a taste of some of the finest baklava in the world. Turkish baklava.
Now you can make it at home with this recipe for authentic Turkish pistachio baklava. It's much easier than you think when you use frozen or fresh, prepackaged phyllo dough.
Once you get used to thawing and working with the paper-thin phyllo sheets, you can whip up a tray of baklava in a snap. In Turkey, pistachio baklava is considered the finest and it's often offered to guests.
The ground, raw pistachios are bright green and make each square baklava look beautiful on it's own. If you like other nuts like walnuts and hazelnuts, or you want a more economical version of this recipe, you can substitute them for the pistachios.
Expirement with different nuts and find the flavors you like the best. Turkish baklava chefs say the secret to baklava that is light, crunchy and juicy at the same time is the syrup.
Cold syrup made with sugar, water and sometimes lemon juice is poured over the pan of baklava when it's piping hot out the oven. After the tray cools down and the layers of pastry have absorbed all the syrup they can, the baklava is portioned and served.
If you love baklava, try this easy recipe for the best there is and get a taste of classic Turkish cuisine and culture.
Photo © Elizabeth Taviloglu, 2013