walnut, coffee & fennel baklava

baklava for skeptics

this is a baklava for skeptics - those who find it too sweet, too one-dimensional

while not traditional (classic penny move), adding a cup of hot espresso to the sugar syrup brings a wonderful bittersweet note to this baklava

the fennel seeds bring a slight floral aniseed note which replaces the more traditional rosewater

this entire tray disappeared in 10 minutes

yields 20 pieces

ingredients

filling

250g walnuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

assembly

150g butter

filo sheets

syrup

250mL moka pot coffee

200g sugar

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 cardamom pods

strip orange peel

method

preheat the oven to 180°C

place the walnuts (250g) in your baking dish and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes to toast gently

transfer the toasted walnuts and cinnamon (1 tsp) to a food processor and blitz the walnuts to pea-sized pieces

melt all of the butter (150g)

pour a spoonful of the melted butter into the walnut mixture and mix through

generously butter the base and side of the baking dish

cut the filo pastry sheets to the size of your baking dish

place the first filo layer on the base of the baking dish, then brush over more butter

repeat to make seven layers of filo pastry with melted butter between

spoon over half of the nut mixture

place a layer of filo pastry, then butter and repeat for a further 7 layers

spoon over the remaining nut mixture, then top with 7 more layers of filo pastry

finish with a final brushing of butter on top

optional: transfer to the fridge to chill for easier cutting

with a sharp knife, cut the baklava into triangles, squares or diamonds as you like making sure to cut all the way to the bottom and up the edges

bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and crispy

meanwhile, make the syrup

combine the hot coffee (250mL), sugar (200g), fennel seeds (2 tsp), cardamom pods (2) and a strip of orange peel in a small saucepan

bring to a boil and cook for 5-10 minutes until it reaches a syrupy consistency

let cool

as soon as the baklava is out of the oven, strain the syrup to remove the fennel seeds, cardamom and orange peel

pour the syrup over the hot baklava, focussing on pouring it down the cut edges

keep pouring until the syrup level is just below the final layer of filo pastry

let the baklava cool completely, preferably overnight

if storing overnight, cover with plastic wrap once it reaches room temperature (so it doesn’t steam up and sog up the filo pastry top)

best shared with friends