serves
3
prep
25 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
3
people
preparation
25
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 5 filo pastry sheets
- 50 g unsalted butter, melted
- 40 g chopped pistachios or 20 g each almonds and pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra, to garnish
- 1½ tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
- a few drops of orange blossom water or rose water
Pistachio ice-cream
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 50 g shelled pistachios
- 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 250 ml (1 cup) thickened cream
Cooling time 10 minutes
Freezing time 10 hours
Instructions
For the ice-cream, melt the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the pistachios and lightly toast for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Cool slightly.
Place the pistachios, sugar and milk in a food processor and process until a paste.
Using an electric mixer, whisk the cream until stiff peaks. Gently fold in the pistachio paste. Pour the ice-cream mixture into a 23 cm square, 4 cm-deep container and freeze for 10 hours or until frozen.
Meanwhile, for the baklava, prepare the filo by defrosting it in the fridge overnight. Keep a damp cloth handy to place over filo sheets while making the baklava to prevent the filo drying out.
Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a 23 cm x 15 cm baking pan. Place a filo sheet on a clean work surface. Brush with butter, top with another filo sheet, then brush with the butter.
Repeat the process until 4 layers are formed. Sprinkle the top with the chopped nuts and spread with your fingers.
On another work surface, butter the remaining filo sheet. Place, buttered-side down, on the top of the nuts. Brush the top with butter.
Cut the stack into 6 x 7.5 cm squares and place in the pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Thin the honey with the water and orange blossom water, then drizzle over the filo. Let it cool.
To assemble, remove the ice-cream from the freezer and cut into 7.5 cm squares. Remove the baklava squares from the pan. Place each ice cream square on top of one baklava, then top, nut-side down, with another baklava.
Garnish with the extra pistachios and serve immediately.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
