Ethel's Baklava

Filling:
3/4 C ground walnuts
3/4 C ground almonds
2 TBS sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pastry
1/2 C melted clarified butter
30 sheets phyllo pastry, each 9 X 9
Syrup
1 C sugar
3/4 C water
1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325. Use 9 X 9 pan, buttered. In food processor, grind walnuts and almonds. Add sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Clarify butter by melting butter and skimming off any cloudy material that rises to the top leaving only clear liquid. Line buttered pan with 10 sheets phyllo dough brushing each layer with clarified butter. Sprinkle half nut mixtue evenly over dough. Add anothe 10 sheets as above. Sprinkle with remaining nut mixture. Top with 10 more sheets brushing each with butter. With a sharp knife, cut the pastry into vertical lines 2 1/4 inches apart, then cut diagonally to make diamonds. Bake at 325 for for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 250 and bake 1 hour and 15 minutes more until crisp and golden and baked through. Prepare syrup by combining water, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes until syrup reaches 225 on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and keep warm. When baklava is baked, cool slightly and spoon syrup evenly over pastry. Cool to room temperature.

Serving Size: 20

Number of Servings: 20

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user SUSANOHANESIAN.