Baklava

[piejam]

Anytime Papa..when you said too much lemon I was wondering what kind of butter you were using..
Never had any pieces get dry..Ole DH would attack the pan..didn't last long in my house..I was just as bad..
Yeah ya could made a small batch but sometimes if you halve a recipe not quite the same...you'll have to "play with it"...lol

Maybe adding just a touch of walnut oil may help...I wonder if Mrs. BG uses peanut oil for the fat instead of butter...just curious..
Think the next time I make it, going to dry roast the walnuts until fragrant(frying pan) it will enhance the flavor..hmmmmm
OMG Tossing some of that masterpiece...you're breakin my heart........

 

[PapaDave]

Walnuts.....sounds good. I used pecans. I've heard of pistachio being used too.
The recipe called for lemon zest, I think, but I had no lemons so I used lemon juice.
I hadn't even considered an alternative to butter.!!

 

[piejam]

Just remember when using bottled lemon juice it is concentrated..could be why the citrus favor was strong.
Pistachios are very expensive buddy....I've seen the top of the pastry dusted with it or part of a nut blend..
Usually pastry recipes call for unsalted butter...at least mine do...don't forget cooking=food chemistry..
Health wise Mrs. BG is right..but we don't know what kind of oil she used..that's why I was thinking peanut, but different flavor...may not matter...
Walnut oil is expensive too..but used as a flavoring. I believe it has a lower smoke point , perishable too.Try it in carrot cake..fabulous..

It's up to you regarding fat substitutes. I've seen margarine used, but it has that after(chemical)taste...rather use oil..pure..
To make your life easier when working with the filo you can spray oil on..it applies evenly and is quicker...
I have a misto can, but it's hard to clean...would only put the clarified stuff in it or a high quality oil ie extra virgin..
Do make it with butter because its rich, but think Mrs Bg is health smart...

 

[begreen]

Hey BG-Just go to a good greek neighborhood and you will probably find one..Growing up in one was great..When most kids ate hotdogs from push carts I was eating souvlaki..not the gyro stuff either..real bbq'd shish-kebabs...God I miss that smell...outside cafe's before it was vogue...

Papa-there is another desert thats easy to make using chopped almonds...you fold a filo sheet to overlapped so you can create a triangle..stuff it with the almond paste and chopped almonds..bake and sprinkle powdered sugar...you would make these just like little personal spinach pies...not in my cookbook..but a hand written one from our Greek church...don't know where I put that thing..used to help DH's yiayia(grandmother) hand toss and pull homemade filo over a kitchen table..pheeeew now that was work!

Sorry I don't remember the name of the almond pastry..phonetically thinks is tri-ga-na..but nothing I see on the net...this just might be a village recipe..Just saw your last post..do you clarify the butter?

We don't really have a strong Greek neighborhood that I know of. If I go up to Vancouver, I can find some good Greek food, but it is hit or miss in Seattle. The best I have had here is made by locals at the annual Greek festivals. I love them and usually end up stuffed. Galaktoboureko is subtle. The best will use hand squeezed orange and lemon juice. This is a case where the quality of ingredients really affect the final results. This is often the case with Greek food. They are usually made with simple ingredients. Another example is spanikopita. There's a big difference in different fetas, fresh vs frozen spinach, etc..

 

[piejam]

Most ppl(americans) don't use the imported feta for pita..better to eat it alone or with olives..adore the green with lemon peel,garlic, greek oregano good olive oil..yum-Yiayia ate it with watermelon..I do use both fresh or frozen spinach for the pita..depends what I have on hand..I grew up in Astoria, NY...we even have Greek supermarkets..Had to bring DH so he could interpret the labels for me his passion was greek sausage(lamb) with orange peel...loukaniko

What kind of oil does Mrs BG use for her Baklava?...this way Papa or I can check it out!!..

 

[begreen]

She mixes a light oil like canola oil with melted butter to coat the filo for her baklava. For spanikopita she mixes a good greek olive oil with butter.

 

[PapaDave]

Thanks for the tip BG.
As long as there's SOME butter in there, I think I'll survive.