Baklava with Raffi Perdedjian

The Mid North coast of NSW, with white sands, pristine beaches and lakes, is one of the best places in the world to live and work.

The people on the coast embrace the lifestyle and especially the fresh food.

This series talks to the locals, the people who live and love the coast and the food they enjoy to cook and share with friends.

In this episode we talk to Raffi Perdedjian, originally Armenian, now a true local, who is passionate about the fresh food and local lifestyle.

His recipe is Baklava, a rich sweet pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup, perfect for summer entertaining with friends.

Ingredients:

1 packet filo pastry
40 grams sugar
200 grams cashew
2 tbsp rose water
2 tbsp orange blossom water
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tsp lemon juice
300 ml oil or butter
4 tbsp tahini
handfull pistachio

Method:
Filling
• Put cashews in a blender and 2 tbsp sugar
• Crush cashews to coarse size
• Take the coarse cashew out of the blender mixer
• Add 1 tbsp rose water and lemon blossom water

How to put together
• Cover the filo pastry with a tea towel
• Brush baking tray with tahini
• Brush 20 filo sheets with oil or butter
• Cover with the cashew filling
• Brush 20 filo sheets with oil or butter to cover the cashew
• And then cut pastry in rectangle or lozenge shape
• Put in an oven 180 degrees and cook until golden and separated
• While hot pour syrup on Baklava
• Decorate with fine grated pistachio

Syrup
• Put 2 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in saucepan
• Bring to heat over high heat. Let it simmers for 5 minutes on reduced heat
• Add lemon juice 2 minutes simmer
• Add rose water and lemon blossom water