Gourmet Foods

• 1 cup sifted cake flour
• ½ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa
• ¼ pound butter
• 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup pecans

Sift the flour and cocoa together. Cream the butter and gradually add the brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and salt, mixing well. Add the cocoa mixture alternately with the milk.

Stir in the vanilla and pecans. Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares before cooling. Makes about 25.

• 1/2 pound butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup sifted flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 egg yolks
• 16 blanched almonds

Cream the butter; gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, almonds and salt.

Add a little at a time to the butter mixture, alternating with 1 egg yolk at a time. Turn into a buttered 8 inch square pan. Mark off 16 squares and place an almond in the center of each square.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until browned. Cut into squares.

For the Baklava:

• 1 pound (approximately 3 cups) blanched almonds, coarsely ground
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
• Peel of 1 orange, grated finely
• 1 ½ pounds phyllo dough

For the syrup:

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon peel
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)

1. To make the baklava: In a bowl, combine nuts with the sugar. Add the orange peel and set mixture aside.
2. Brush a 9×13 inch baking pan along the bottom and sides with some of the melted butter.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo in the pan.
4. Brush the phyllo generously with the melted butter. Repeat layering and brushing with butter 8 sheets of phyllo, working quickly.
5. Sprinkle approximately ½ cup (more or less according to taste) of the nut mixture evenly across the top.
6. Layer 3 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Then sprinkle nut mixture evenly across the phyllo. Repeat this step until you run out of nut mixture.
7. After the last of the nut mixture, layer 8 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter. Cover the pan and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour.
8. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
9. When the baklava is chilled, remove the pan from the fridge. Using a long, very sharp knife, Cut the baklava into small diamonds: First make 6 evenly spaced lengthwise cuts. Cut straight down until the tip of the knife touches the bottom of the pan, and keeping the knife straight, cut in a straight line all the way. Next, begin at the upper left end and cut diagonally across the lengthwise cuts to form diamonds, starting in one corner and making cuts until you reach the opposite corner. You should have about 48 diamonds.
10. Bake 90 minutes or until golden brown.
11. To make the syrup: Mix the sugar and water in a medium saucepan, Add the lemon peel.
12. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 to 25 minutes, until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and remove the lemon peel with a slotted spoon.
13. Add the lemon juice and stir. Set the syrup aside to cool.
14. Remove the baklava from the oven and spooned the cooled syrup evenly over the hot baklava.
15. Cover and allow to rest, at least several hours and preferable overnight, at room temperature, before serving.