Fruit Mince Baklava

Need

• 1 Batch Cherry and Pear Fruit Mince
• 1 Pack unfrozen phyllo pastry, unrolled and covered with a damp towel
• Generous Handfuls pistachios
• 200 Grams butter melted BUY

• Spiced Syrup

• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 1/2 Teaspoon cardamom seeds
• A little freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 lemon, zest, finely grated
• 250 Grams sugar
• 120 Grams honey
• 1 lemon, juice
• A little water

Do

1  

Premake the Cherry and Pear fruit mince and make sure it is cold before proceeding with this recipe.

2  

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

3  

Divide the pastry into thirds (approx) and cut it to the size of your baking dish or tray. I used a large lasagne dish as I am not afraid of Fruit Mince Baklava and I am not afraid to admit that!!

4  

Brush the dish generously with melted butter. Lay a sheet of phyllo over and brush, repeat, brush, repeat until you have used the first third of the pastry. Keep the unused pastry protected with the damp towel.

5  

Spread half the fruit mince over the pastry and then sprinkle with a good handful of pistachios.

6  

Lay a sheet of pastry over the top and brush with butter and continue the layering with butter in between until you have used up another third.

7  

Spread the remaining fruit mince over and sprinkle with another handful of pistachios. Cover with pastry as before and continue until all pastry and butter is used. If you have left over butter, shame on you, brush the remaining butter on top of the baklava until it is all gone.

8  

Refrigerate 15 minutes until firm. Cut through top two layers of pastry with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern. If you cut through the bottom layer, you will lose all your syrup into the tray…but I digress.

9  

Bake for 1 hour until fragrant and golden. Cover loosely with foil part way through baking if browning too quickly.

10  

Meanwhile, place cinnamon stick, cardamom, nutmeg, lemon zest and sugar into Thermomix bowl and mill 10 sec/speed 10.

11  

Add honey, juice and about 150g water to Thermomix bowl and cook 6 min/Varoma/speed 2/MC off. Simmer 30 min/90ºC/speed 1/MC off. You may need to add water if you think the syrup is too reduced. This can vary depending on the weather, so keep an eye on it.

12  

When baklava is fully cooked (crispy and quite golden on top) cool it for a few minutes. Pour syrup over and allow the whole thing to come to room temperature before refrigerating. The pastry will be quite stick and sweet, and if you have used enough butter, will still have crispy layers.

13  

It will keep for quite a few days, depending on whose household it is in!