Ingredients

Method

• 2 x 250 g phyllo pastry packets, thawed
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 200 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 T caster sugar
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• 1 orange, juiced and zested
• Pistachios, finely chopped, to garnish
For the syrup:
• 200 g sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 orange, juiced and zested

Method

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Place 1 packet phyllo pastry on a clean, flat surface. Place a 24 cm pie dish on top of the pastry and cut around the dish, leaving 2 fingers’ extra space around the edges. Do the same with the remaining pastry. Save any leftover pastry for another use. 

Cover one lot of pastry with a clean, damp cloth while working with the other one. Brush the dish with butter and, working as fast as you can, layer with 6–7 layers of pastry, brushing each layer with melted butter. 

Mix the walnuts with the sugar, cinnamon, orange juice and zest. Pour over the buttered pastry and top with the remaining sheets, buttering each layer. Cut into squares in the pie dish and bake in the oven for 20–30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. 

To make the syrup, place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a low heat, and stir continually until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Set aside and allow to cool. Pour over the cooked baklava and set aside to cool. Scatter over the pistachios before serving.