Blessed Bee Baklava

This recipe was used in the now infamous Blessed Bee June Honeymoon Ritual at Oak Spring.  All hail the hive!

Pre-heat your oven to 350ºF.  This entree will take 30 minutes of preparation time, and will cook for 35 - 40 minutes.

Ingredients 

Nut Mixture: Syrup: Combined With:
1½ pounds of walnuts, chopped
1 cup of sugar
1½ teaspoons cinnamon, ground
½ teaspoon cloves, ground
1 cup honey
3/4 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small (1") piece of lemon peel
1 small (1") piece of orange peel
1 small (1") piece of stick cinnamon
1 pound of filo dough
½ pound of butter

Combine all the ingredients for the nut mixture and set aside.  In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and bring to soft ball hardness on a candy thermometer (about 120º).  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Melt the butter.  Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray or coat with a thin layer of shortening. Layer the filo sheets one at a time, brushing each one with melted butter.  The dough is very thin and delicate, and tends to tear easily as it dries, so either cover the pile of filos with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel while you are positioning each layer and brushing with butter OR... work very fast!

When you have 1/3 of the filo layered and buttered, cover with 1/3 of the nut mixture.  Repeat the process with the remaining filo and nut mixture, topping with layers of filo and butter.  Score the filo into squares with a sharp knife.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes.  Discard the rinds and stick cinnamon from the syrup.  Pour the syrup over the filo and nut mixture and let it sit for 4 hours.  Cut all the way through the scores and serve with finger bowls and towels (or moist towelettes).  Sticky and yummy!

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