makes
24
prep
35 minutes
cook
55 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
24
serves
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
55
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 750 g macadamia nuts
- 250 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon myrtle
- 375 g packet filo pastry
- 200 g hot clarified butter
Syrup
- 600 g honey
- 200 g caster sugar
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) lemon aspen juice, plus extra, for misting (see note)
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Oil a large, deep rectangular baking tray about 20 cm x 30 cm.
1. For the syrup, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer over low-medium, stirring regularly for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, place the macadamia nuts, icing sugar and lemon myrtle in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
2. Layer 3 sheets of filo pastry on the bottom of the tray, trimming to fit if necessary. Spread a quarter of the nut mixture on top, then cover with another 3 layers of pastry. Mist with a spray of extra lemon aspen juice. Repeat this process three more times. Using a large sharp knife, cut the baklava into diamond-shapes. Gently pour the hot melted clarified butter evenly over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.
3. Remove the tray from oven and whilst still hot, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the top. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and stand for 2 hours or until completely cooled.
Note:
Native to far north Queensland, lemon aspen is a pale lemon coloured fruit with an intense citrus amora. The juice has a very strong acid flavour of lemon with a hint of grapefruit. Lemon aspen juice, the sweetened syrup and the dehydrated fruit are available online from native food stores.
Catch Mark Olive in the second season of , Wednesdays 7:30 on NITV from 23 October to 18 December, or on SBS On Demand.
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.
