Baklava

The credit for this one goes to my old favorite of Allrecipes.com. If you have never tried Baklava you are missing out on it's flakey, buttery goodness. This is a simplified version of how to make Baklava that turns out delicious. I prefer to have lot's of flakey layers of the phyllo dough and I butter each layer individually, but you can do them 2 at a time to save time like the recipe advises. If you want to get a little more advanced you can play around with the syrup you spoon over at the end adding cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, lemon, and cloves, you get the idea. You can add a whole new dimension to the dessert with the subtle flavors of the syrup.

• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
• 1 pound chopped nuts
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place one sheet of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.
3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.
4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Mini Pumpkin Pies with Baklava Crust

I found this recipe on Yum Sugar, a new site for me to visit, but It's become a new favorite. I have grown to have a love for all things Baklava since having a co-worker who use to make baklava on a regular basis and bring it to work. I thought this was an amazing combination of 2 things I love, pumpkin and baklava. It was a little labor intense with the making of the streusel and baking it, but it's worth it, trust me on that one. My mouth is singing just looking at the pictures.

Ingredients

Walnut-Oatmeal Streusel
6 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
3 1/2 tablespoons flour
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
Phyllo Crust
5 sheets of phyllo, thawed and room temperature
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Pie Filling
7.5 ounces solid-pack pumpkin
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/8 cup honey
1 egg
1/8 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Make the walnut-oatmeal streusel: Preheat oven to 350. Combine oats, walnuts, flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in honey. Stir into oat mixture.
3. Spread streusel on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally until light gold and crunchy, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Let cool on baking sheet on a wire rack. Streusel will keep, covered for up to 3 days.
5. Make the phyllo crust: Preheat oven to 350. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Gently place one layer of phyllo dough on a large cutting board. Brush with a thin layer of butter and sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture. Repeat this step five times until all 5 sheets have been used.
6. Cut phyllo into 2 by 2 inch squares. Remove each square and gently press and fold the edges into the mini muffin tin. Bake for 5-8 minutes until phyllo cups are golden.
7. Make the pumpkin pie filling: combine pumpkin, brown sugar, honey, egg, cream, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger in a large bowl.
8. Sprinkle a bit of streusel in the bottom of each phyllo cup. Spoon in a small amount of pumpkin pie filling in each phyllo cup. Bake at 350°F 15-20 minutes until the pumpkin filling is firm.
9. Sprinkle a little strusel on each and serve warm.