Amira's Baklava

Give this a go, it is so so yummy and easy to make.  My mum makes this without a recipe and so quickly, like most passionate baking mums.  She's my rock and inspiration.

Ingredients

Filling

1 ½ cup crushed walnuts

1 ½ cup crushed almonds

2 teas cardamom powder

1 teas cinnamon powder

½ cup sugar

1 egg white

1 packet (375g) filo pastry

100g unsalted butter, melted

Syrup

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

2 tab lemon juice

Method

1.                  Preheat oven at 180oC (170oC fan forced).  In a large bowl mix together walnuts, almonds, cardamom powder, cinnamon powder and sugar.

2.                  Remove the filo pastry from its packet and lie flat on the work bench. Cover with a dry tea towel.  Working with one sheet at a time, brush melted butter on the surface, fold in half and add a layer, about 3 tablespoons of nut mixture along one edge to the other closest to you.  Roll up to enclose the filling and place log in appropriate size oven pan.  Repeat with all the other filo.

3.                  Place in oven and bake at 180oc (170oC fan forced) for 30 minutes.

4.                  Meanwhile while baklava is baking, make the syrup as follows.

5.                  Place in a medium size saucepan, sugar, water, cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved.  Continue to cook and boil until reduced and sticky.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

6.                  Once baklava has cooked, remove from oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava.  Allow the baklava to soak up the syrup and cool.  Serve straight from the pan and then store the rest in an airtight container.