Out of my comfort zone

Which is why, for my second entry into the Project Food Blog challenge, I chose to do a dessert for my dish. A way to step out of my comfort zone of cooking and challenge myself a little. I love making desserts. Cookies, cupcakes, pies… but when it comes to anything with a flaky crust… I shudder a little bit thinking about it.

Hence the reason I have probably never ventured to make my favorite ethnic dessert- baklava. Baklava, or Baklawa, depending on the region, is a pan-middle eastern dessert. I’m not sure when I first tried baklava, but I know I have been eating it since I was very young. My great grandmother was born in 1909 in Demascus, Syria, so I have had a taste for mid-eastern food for some time now. Hommas, Kibbeh, Pita you name it- but nothing is more exciting to my taste buds than the sweet, syrupy pastry that is baklava.

Baklava has many different variations- usually the main variants being the nuts, and the syrup used to moisten. But the basic baklava consists of three elements: phyllo dough, ground nuts, honey syrup. Doesn’t sound too bad, right?

Well, there are always a few issues… the sugar syrup needs to be at an exact temperature, or else it will be too running. The nuts can’t be ground too much, or they will release too much oil, creating a heavy baklava, and the phyllo dough- let’s just say it doesn’t play well with others.

So what better way to prove I am serious about being the next Food Blog Star, than trying something I have always wanted, but never had the courage to do?

Of course I couldn’t do it the easy way either, by choosing a recipe and sticking with it. Oooh, no, that would be too simple. I decided I liked certain aspects of one recipe, but also other ones of another, and maybe more of this… a little less of this… and half the amounts… before I knew it, I had written my own recipe. Oh yeah, the FIRST TIME I have ever made it. Sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these things. However, it is still very authentic, the only things I changed were types and amounts of spices, seasonings and ratios.

So I started with a little bit of this…

and a little bit lot of this…

I went to town with my rolling pin and a heap of walnuts, added some spices and a tiny bit of sugar…

I melted that butter up all nice, and I layered.

And layered.

And layered.

Then I cut.

I baked. And waited.

Meanwhile, I made a sugar syrup.

And when that perfectly risen, nicely golden brown baklava came out of the oven,

I impreganted it with the sweetest honey-spiked syrup to ever hit my lips.

It bubbled, I smiled.

A few chopped pistachios, and the task was complete.

I did it.

But I wasn’t going to miss out on tasting it…

The verdict straight from my husband- “Holy Crap. All I can say is… holy crap.” I’m pretty sure that was a good ‘holy crap’, because I concur. 

Previously, I thought making a souflee was my biggest culinary accomplishment. But even if the skill involved in baklava is less than that of the pure timing and technique needed for a souflee… this meant so much more to me.

Please, vote for this entry on Part 2: The classics for Project Food Blog 2010, starting on September 27!

xo

Tagged as: project food blog