This crisp, fresh take on the Greek and Turkish dessert is perfect for serving with tea or coffee. Always taste the nuts before adding them to recipes, as their natural oils can cause them to turn rancid quite quickly. Our favourite trick? Stash them away in the freezer to prolong their shelf life.
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Total time 2 hours & 30 minutes
Ingredients
Method
In bowl, toss together pears, cranberries, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg to coat.
Halve phyllo sheets crosswise; trim to fit 9-inch square cake pan. Place 1 halved phyllo sheet in bottom of pan; brush lightly with some of the butter. Repeat with 5 of the remaining halved phyllo sheets and some of the remaining butter. Sprinkle with all but 1 tbsp of the walnuts; top with pear mixture. Arrange 1 halved phyllo sheet over top; brush lightly with some of the remaining butter. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and butter.
Using sharp knife, cut through layers to make 9 squares; halve squares diagonally to make 18 triangles. Bake in 350°F oven until phyllo is golden and pears are tender, about 45 minutes.
While baklava is baking, in saucepan, cook sugar, fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves and 1/3 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring, until dissolved; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in orange zest and lemon juice. Let stand until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Strain through fine-mesh sieve; discard solids. Pour over hot baklava; sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Let cool completely in pan, about 1 hour.
Makes 18 pieces.
Nutritional facts Per piece: about
- Fibre 1 g
- Sodium 63 mg
- Sugars 11 g
- Protein 2 g
- Calories 134
- Total fat 6 g
- Potassium 60 mg
- Cholesterol 7 mg
- Saturated fat 2 g
- Total carbohydrate 19 g
%RDI
- Iron 4
- Folate 6
- Calcium 1
- Vitamin A 2
- Vitamin C 2
