Christmas Baking, Day 8

Here comes another tasty, sticky recipe to get your hands dirty with – Mince Pie Baklava.

If you already love this syrupy pastry treat, then this Christmas take on a traditional Turkish recipe will right up your street! If you’ve never tried Baklava, then now is the time to start.

 

You might think that this recipe will be a hard one, but it definitely not. It may take a little extra time, but it is definitely worth it for the gooey, sugary goodness.

 

What you’ll need…

  • 411g mincemeat
  • 100g pistachios, chopped
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 1 orange, zested
  • 150g butter
  • 2 x 270g packs of filo pastry
  • 150g granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp Grand Marnier or brandy

 

How to make these Turkish treats…

  • Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
  • Melt the butter, then grease the bottom and sides of a 20 x 30cm baking tin. Cut the sheets of filo so they’re the same size as the tin, then cover with a damp tea towel to stop them from drying out. Filo is very fragile, so if they dry out, they will be very hard to work with and may split very easily.
  • Mix your mincemeat with the pistachios, almonds, orange zest and a little salt. Once combined, leave in the fridge.
  • Press one sheet of filo pastry into the tin and brush with the melted butter. Continue to layer the pastry with butter in between until you have used one pack of pastry.
  • Evenly spread the mincemeat mixture over the bottom layer pf pastry. Top with the remaining filo, continuing to brush the layers with melted butter. Brush the final layer with melted butter.
  • Using a very sharp knife, cut deep, diagonal lines all the way through the pastry to form a diamond pattern. Bake in the oven for 1 hr until golden.

Meanwhile, make the syrup.

  • Put the sugar and 75ml water into a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer until the syrup is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the Grand Marnier or brandy.
  • Once the baklava has baked, remove from the oven and increase the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Pour the syrup over the baklava so that it’s even, then return it to the oven for 5 mins or until the syrup has been absorbed.
  • Leave to cool completely in the tin, then slice into pieces along the diagonal lines. Will keep for up to one week in an airtight container.

 

I hope you enjoy this simple, easy recipe! It’s a great treat for those who prefer something other than chocolate or just normal, old Christmas Pud’! You can serve them warm with ice cream or let them cool and enjoy with coffee!

We would love to see your goodies, so share them on social media and tag Wenzel’s so we can see!

Merry-almost-Christmas!

Wenzel’s xo

 

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