INGREDIENTS
Baklava
200g butter, plus extra for greasing
200g pistachios
2 x 270g pack filo pastry
Syrup
250g golden caster sugar
50g honey
2tsp rose water
200g water
Rose Pudding
½ cup whole milk (120ml)
2 cups heavy cream (480ml)
¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
3 sheets gelatin
2tbsp dried rosebuds (25 rosebuds)
METHOD
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 21cm x 21cm square cake tin with butter. Chop the nuts into small pieces using a food processor, taking care not to blitz them to a paste. Put them into a bowl, stir in a pinch of salt and set aside.
Melt butter in a pan over low heat. Cut the first pack of filo pastry sheets in half (so that they fit the tin). Put one sheet in the tin and brush with the melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and brush with butter again, keep layering like this until the whole pack is used up.
Spread the nut mixture over the pastry and press it down lightly with the back of a spoon. Open the other pack of filo, cut it in half and continue the layering and buttering process. When you reach the last sheet, pour any remaining butter over the top to finish. Use a sharp knife to cut deep lines into the pastry, create either squares or diamond shapes, then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for further 45 minutes.
While the baklava cooks, put all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then boil the mixture for eight to 10 minutes or until it has reduced to the consistency of runny honey.
When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the warm syrup over the top, allowing it to run into the lines you have cut. Leave it to soak in and serve when it’s completely cold.
To create the rose pudding, soak the gelatin sheet in cold water until soft. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat milk, heavy cream, and sugar until simmering (do not boil). Remove from the heat. Squeeze gelatin to remove any excess water and add it to the pan, stirring constantly until the gelatin is melted. Add vanilla extract and dried rosebuds. Allow the mixture to steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour evenly among the prepared moulds. Refrigerate until set for at least four hours or overnight.
