Crisp, many-layered baklava is surprisingly easy to...

Crisp, many-layered baklava is surprisingly easy to make. You brush sheets of filo dough with melted butter and stack them in a baking pan, including layers of ground nuts and spices in the middle of the pile. After baking the baklava, you drench it with honey, aromatic syrup or a mixture.

Fresh filo dough is available in specialty grocery stores and some supermarkets; frozen filo can be found in almost any market. For best results, frozen dough should be thawed overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove the filo from the refrigerator a couple of hours before you make the baklava, but leave the package sealed.

Unsalted butter must be used in the recipe. Melt the butter and prepare the filling before opening the dough.

Gently unroll the filo and divide the contents into three stacks. Quickly cover each stack with wax paper or plastic wrap, then a damp towel, to keep it from drying out and becoming unusable. (The towel should not touch the dough.)

Remove sheets from one stack at a time. Arrange the sheets in a jellyroll pan, brushing every other sheet with melted butter. Even imperfect sheets of filo can be used (of course, the top sheet must be perfect).

Traditionally, the pastry is cut into diamond-shaped pieces. With a sharp knife, score the pastry about halfway through; do not cut all the way.

Browned butter helps the pastry turn golden while it bakes. After the baklava is removed from the oven and moistened with syrup, it needs to stand at room temperature about four hours, until the pastry absorbs the liquid.

BAKLAVA

NUT FILLING

1 pound walnuts or toasted blanched almonds, chopped fine

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in bowl and stir together. Set aside.

FILO

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

1 (1-pound) package filo dough

Whole cloves

Melt butter in small saucepan.

Open filo and divide into 3 equal stacks. Cover with plastic wrap, then damp cloth to prevent drying out.

Beginning with first stack, place 2 sheets filo in buttered 17x12x2-inch jellyroll pan. Brush with some of melted butter.

Continue adding filo, brushing every second sheet with butter. When first stack is layered, sprinkle with 1/3 Nut Filling.

Top with half second stack filo, brushing every second sheet with butter. Sprinkle with another 1/3 Nut Filling.

Layer remaining half of second stack filo, brushing every second sheet with butter. Sprinkle with remaining filling, then top with third stack of filo, again brushing every second sheet with butter.

Trim filo even with edge of pan. Tuck ends down into pan.

Using sharp knife, score baklava into diamonds. Stud each with whole clove.

Measure remaining melted butter. If necessary, add enough to equal 1/2 cup. Brown lightly over low heat, then pour evenly over pastry.

Bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking another 30 minutes.

SYRUP

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Place honey, sugar, water and lemon juice in heavy saucepan and mix together. Cook over moderate heat until sugar dissolves, then boil slowly 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from oven. Stir orange blossom water into syrup, then pour syrup over pastry. Allow to stand at least 4 hours at room temperature. Serve warm or chilled.

Makes about 30 pieces baklava.

Each piece contains about:

305 calories; 70 mg sodium; 25 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.70 gram fiber.