Makes one 24cm baklava, serves 10-12

 

A small slice of this baklava as dessert is very satisfying as it is lusciously sweet without the richness associated with many desserts.  An ideal afternoon tea treat served with tea.  Store covered at room temperature for up to three days.

 

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe Michael’s Brown Bread Praline

110g pistachios out of shells, toasted and roughly chopped

100g Craisins

32 filo pastry sheets (this may equal 1 ½ boxes)

100g unsalted butter, melted

½ cup Springfield Orchard Marmalade (it's nice and chunky)

Orange Syrup

 

• To make the filling:  Into a small bowl place Michael’s Brown Bread Praline, pistachios and Craisins.  Mix together.
• Place stacks of filo pastry sheets onto a flat surface and using base of a 24cm cake tin as a guide, with a sharp knife, cut filo into rounds so you end up with 32 rounds.
• Cover filo rounds with a damp cloth to prevent drying as you work.  (Wrap and refrigerate (or freeze) pastry offcuts for another use.)
• Onto a flat surface place one pastry round and brush lightly with butter.  Repeat the process until there are 10 pastry rounds in a stack.  Lift pastry stack and place into base of a 24cm spring-form cake tin.
• Spread pastry stack with 2 tablespoons of marmalade and sprinkle evenly with one-quarter of the filling.
• Place 2 rounds of filo pastry on a flat surface and brush with melted butter.  Cover with a further 2 rounds.  Place these 4 rounds on top of the praline mixture.  Repeat this process of pastry, marmalade and filling until you have 4 layers with filling.

 

Michael’s Brown Bread Praline

Yields 100g/1 cup

 

Praline will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or frozen for 6 months.  Praline also makes a great ice cream topping or an addition to a crumble mixture.

 

Ingredients:

50g (1-2 slices) stale wholemeal bread

30g unsalted butter

50g sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or allspice

 

• Crumble bread, but not too finely.  Into a small frypan set over a medium heat place butter, melt, add bread and fry until crisp.
• Sprinkle bread with sugar and spice and allow to caramelise to a pale golden colour.  Stir frequently while the caramelizing process is happening.
• Transfer praline to a low-sided tray and leave to cool.

 

 

Orange Syrup

Makes 300ml

 

Ingredients:

110g sugar

150ml water

60g Tawari, or a light floral flavoured honey

65ml orange juice

finely grated zest of 3 oranges

 

• Into a small saucepan set over a medium heat place sugar, water, honey, orange juice and zest. Stir until sugar has dissolved.
• Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes until mixture is syrupy.
• Remove from heat and cool.