Macadamia Baklava

Macadamia Baklava

Makes 24

 

So sweet but so delicious. Macadamias soak up the heavenly flavours of honey and cinnamon and come out the star in this macadamia adaptation of a traditional Middle Eastern sweet.

 

More than 650 growers of Australia's home-grown nut are cranking up their mechanical harvesters and gearing up to gather the best quality, best tasting macadamias in the world as mature nuts fall to the ground across subtropical orchards in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland.

There's nothing quite like indulging in our very own macadamias. With their velvety-soft crunch and creamy, buttery flavour, Australia's most versatile nut has a simple elegance that adds something special to any dish, and harvest is just another reason to enjoy its wonderful benefits.

Macadamias have one of the highest food sources of good fats around and are delicious way to include more nutritious -core' foods in your diet. So let's join talented growers in celebrating harvest with these new mouth-watering recipes!

Ingredients
Baklava
2 cups raw macadamias, finely chopped in food processor
½ cup caster sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
200g unsalted butter, chopped
500g packet filo pastry (or approximately 30 sheets)

Honey syrup
2 cups caster sugar
125g honey
1 lemon, rind removed using a vegetable peeler, juiced
1 cinnamon stick
300ml water

Method
Combine macadamias, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, set aside and keep warm. Brush a 3cm-deep 24cm x 34cm ceramic or glass baking dish with butter. Using a sharp knife tip cut each sheet of filo to the same size as the dish. Set each piece aside in a pile and cover with a slightly damp tea towel.
There should be approximately 30 pieces.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Layer 8-10 sheets of the filo pastry in dish, brushing butter between each layer. Scatter the last layer evenly with one half of the macadamia mixture and then top with another 8-10 sheets of filo pastry, brushing butter between each layer. Scatter over remaining macadamia mixture and top with remaining filo, brushing between each layer with butter.
Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until butter is firm. Using a sharp knife, cut through all pastry layers to form 4cm diamonds. Bake on the middle oven rack for 45 minutes to 1 hour until golden and cooked through. Cover loosely with foil partway through cooking if top
browns too quickly.
Meanwhile, for honey syrup, combine sugar, honey, lemon rind, cinnamon stick and water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Increase heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and remove cinnamon stick and lemon rind, stir through lemon juice to taste and set aside.
Remove baklava from the oven and cool slightly for 2-3 minutes before evenly pouring over the syrup. Set aside at room temperature for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight, to cool completely and for the syrup to sink in. Baklava will keep in the tray, covered, for 3-4 days.