Baklawa 'Be'Aj'
Submitted by LDAVID350
Lebanese Baklawa Be’Aj features phyllo squares shaped into lily petals around an egg-white walnut and almond filling, soaked in rose water and orange blossom syrup. A showstopper pastry for special occasions.
YIELD
40 servingsPREP
60 minCOOK
30 minREADY
90 minBaklawa Be’Aj is the Lebanese interpretation of a classic, and the difference is entirely in the shape. Instead of layered sheets, each piece of phyllo is cut into a square, buttered, then gently squeezed into a lily form with the four corners folding up like petals around a mound of ground walnuts and almonds. It’s a more hands-on technique than standard baklava layering, but the finished tray looks spectacular.
The nut filling uses beaten egg whites folded around coarsely ground walnuts and almonds scented with rose water. That egg white base gives the filling a slightly creamier, more cohesive texture than the loose nut mixtures found in Greek or Turkish versions.
The syrup, called altar syrup, gets both rose water and orange flower water. It goes over the pastries while they’re still hot so they absorb it properly. The lemon juice in the syrup is functional, not just for flavor. It prevents crystallization as the syrup cools.
Work quickly once you’ve buttered the phyllo. The recipe makes this point directly: butter firms up fast and shaping becomes difficult if the sheets sit.
Pro Tips
- Keep unused phyllo covered with a dry towel topped by a slightly damp one. Phyllo dries out in minutes and cracks when you try to shape it.
- Shape each batch before buttering the next. Don’t get ahead of yourself or the butter will firm before you can work the dough.
- Pour syrup over hot pastries, not the other way around. Hot pastry plus cool syrup equals proper absorption and that glossy, sticky finish.
- Pistachio garnish in the centers adds color and crunch. Worth it if you have them on hand.
Ingredients
Directions
Stack 10 sheets phyllo on a flat surface, keeping remainder covered with a dry, then a damp tea towel. Brush top sheet of stack with butter, lift sheet and replace on stack buttered side down. Brush top with butter, lift top two sheets and turn over on stack. Repeat until all 10 sheets are buttered, lifting an extra sheet each time. Top and bottom of finished stack should remain unbuttered.
With kitchen scissors cut buttered stack of phyllo into approximately 10 cm (4 inches) squares. Stack and cover. Prepare remainder of phyllo. Depending on size of phyllo sheets, you may have fewer than 10 left at the end. Halve sheets if necessary to give 10 layers.
Beat egg whites until stiff and beat sugar in gradually. Fold in nuts and rose water. Butter top of phyllo square and place a tablespoonful of nut mixture in the centre. Gently squeeze into a lily shape, with four corners of square as petals and filling in centre.
Place in a buttered 25 x 33 cm (10 x 13 inch) baking dish . Repeat with remaining ingredients, placing finished pastries close together in dish.
Bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes, reduce to slow and cook for further 15 minutes.
Meanwhile dissolve sugar in water over heat, add lemon juice and orange water and bring to the boil. Boil for 15 minutes, stir in rose water and cool. Spoon cool thick syrup over hot pastries.
Leave until cool and sprinkle pistachio nuts in centres of pastries if desired.
Note: If you are not used to working with phyllo pastry, then it is advisable to fill and shape the first lot of buttered squares before going onto the nest lot. The butter firms fairly quickly and it could be difficult to shape the pastries if the buttered sheets are left for a time.
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