Bacon baklava recipe

Details

• Cuisine: American
• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Difficulty: Medium
• Preparation Time: 45 mins
• Cooking Time: 35 mins
• Serves: 12

Step-by-step

1. In a food processor, pulse the nuts until they are ground. Add the bacon, sugar and cardamom and pulse a few more times until the nut mixture is finely chopped and evenly blended.
2. Begin layering the baklava: brush a Swiss roll tin or baking tray with sides, generously with the melted butter.
3. Unroll the filo pastry and cover the sheets with a piece of cling film and a clean, damp tea towel. This keeps the sheets from drying out while you are layering the baklava. Read the packet for detailed handling instructions.
4. Place a sheet of filo in the tin and brush it with melted butter. Repeat with 6 more sheets of filo pastry and butter for a total of 7 sheets. You do not have to cover every last inch of the filo with butter, but try and have it evenly dispersed between all of the layers.
5. Spread about 50g of the nut mixture evenly over the filo. Top the nuts with two more buttered sheets of filo. Continue sprinkling with another 50g of the nut mixture adding two sheets of buttered filo until all of the nut mixture is used. Top with a final layer of 7 buttered filo sheets.
6. Use a sharp knife to cut the uncooked baklava into 24 diamond shapes. Bake the baklava until it is brown and crisp, 30–35 minutes.
7. While the baklava is baking, combine the water, sugar and honey in a saucepan. Gradually heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Add the cinnamon stick and bring the mixture to the boil.
8. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 25–30 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the orange flower water and cool slightly. Pour the syrup evenly over the baklava as soon as it comes out of the oven. Make sure you get the syrup in every crack and crevice.
9. Leave to soak for several hours. Serve at room temperature and store leftovers in the fridge.