CREAMY PISTACHIO ICE CREAM & BAKLAVA
A taste of Turkey!
Welcome back to Unfiltered Flavours+! Before I get into this recipe I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that’s been supporting me each month on my food writing journey. I hope you guys are enjoying these recipes as much as I’m enjoying writing them!
This week on issue #7 I’m sharing a beautiful baklava and pistachio ice cream recipe. I didn’t drop an issue last week, I was having a break in turkey. Saying that, my brain never switches off, whilst I was out there I was thinking what recipe am I going to do next… It was only right after finally trying baklava in Turkey that I made my own. Im a bit obsessed with pistachio lately…so I also made a pistachio ice cream to accompany this already nutty dessert.
Now I used to have some Lebanese colleagues years ago and they actually put me onto baklava. They always said it’s super easy to make, but that not all baklava is equal and that’s true. I’ve had some amazing baklava over the years and some not so amazing. Something I struggle with is the wet/sweetness of the syrup. I’ve also learnt that no two families from the same area will make baklava the same. As I’ve got older my sweet tooth has decreased and I find I prefer using a simple syrup that’s a little thicker and less watery.
Baklava is a traditional pastry made of thin sheets of filo pastry layered with nuts (sometimes seasoned with spices) and absolutely drowned in a syrup or honey. To my knowledge Baklava is made is Greece, Turkey and the Middle East. This version may not be authentic as I’ve adapted this to suit my tastebuds. If you do it differently, I would love to know!
Flavours and ingredients
Now not all pistachios are equal and you’re going to want to get hold of some good quality pistachios, especially for the ice cream. The ice cream recipe uses the base from my custard vanilla bean ice cream recipe here, nothing changes minus a little bit more milk and the addition of pistachio paste (that’s made from scratch) I’m in the process of playing around with dextrose and sucrose but don’t want to overcomplicate the recipe for you guys haha!
Head down to your local Turkish shop and check out their filo pastry section. I’m super fortunate to live in a very multicultural area, so there’s no shortage of this stuff. It has to be filo, you can’t use any other pastry. Orange blossom water is another one you’ll find in any Turkish shop, it adds a nice floral touch to the syrup. You can also use rose water if you can’t get hold of orange blossom water.
I feel like walnuts are really underrated, they’re the go to with Greek baklava and in Turkey I saw pistachio A LOT. I used a mix of both because I had walnuts that needed using, but I like the earthiness and balance that they bring. They’re also cheaper than pistachios so it’s a win win.
Clarified butter is brushed on every layer of filo pastry. Yes it’s rich, but that’s the beauty of this dessert. You can also use butter, but keep in mind that butter has milk solids and a lower smoke point (around 175 degrees celcius)
Technique & equipment
You’ll need a good blender/food processor if you’re making the pistachio paste. This takes 10-12 minutes in a food processor. If you have a mini blender, you can actually use less pistachios. I don’t have that, so you need a substantial amount for it to break down and become a paste. It’s not a quick blend and it’s done! You can buy pistachio paste, just make sure you’re buying a pure pistachio paste.
In the recipe for the baklava I show you guys how to clarify your own butter, you don’t actually have to do this step! It’s super easy though, with clarified butter it’s shelf stable and you get a higher smoke point. Which makes it perfect for this recipe.
I use the Cuisinart ice cream and gelato maker machine, I prefer this to the ones where you have to freeze the bowl first. I don’t have that sort of freezer space! This is a good entry machine, but it’s quite bulky and takes up a bit of space.
With the filo pastry, you’ll want to trim it to the size of your pan. I’m using a 26.5cm x 32cm deep pan. If you’re going to use a smaller pan then this, then you’ll of course need to adjust the cooking times and use less filling. When trimming your filo, do this one stack at a time then cover with a damp towel to keep from drying out.
Recipes and method
Baklava:
28 layers of filo pastry roughly 2 packs.
250g clarified butter/ghee
Filling:
300g pistachios +25g crushed pistachios for topping
200g walnuts
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Syrup:
350g caster sugar
250ml water
1 cinnamon stick
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp orange blossom water or rose water
Clarified butter:
Using a small pot, place in 350g unsalted butter diced into cubes then let it melt over medium-low heat.
Leave to simmer until an even layer of white milk proteins will float to the surface (around 7-10 minute mark)
Once it’s foamy, reduce this to low and let it cook away. The ghee is ready when the milk solids that settle on the base of the pan turn golden (around the 15 min mark)
Strain through a mesh colander lined with a muslin cloth or single sheet of paper towel.
Clarified butter AKA liquid GOLD
Baklava method:
To make the simple syrup, combine all your ingredients in a pot minus your orange blossom water. Bring this to a boil on high heat and allow to simmer for 10 mins.
Then remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and add your orange blossom water. Allow this to cool until later
Pulse walnuts and pistachios in a food processor until coarsely ground, you still want some chunks! Then season with salt, cinnamon and ground cloves and give it a quick pulse
Brush the bottom and sides of the tin with your clarified butter then add 10 filo pastry streets, be sure to brush ghee between each layer of pastry.
On the 10th sheet, brush with clarified butter as normal and add 1/3 of your nut mix.
Then add six more filo sheets on top of the nut mixture, brushing each with the clarified butter and then spread remaining nut mixture over top.
Now add your remaining 12 sheets of filo and again make sure each layer is brushed with the clarified butter.
Then using a a sharp knife, slice the filo into 1 1/2 inch squares. You’ll need to gently hold the pastry to do this and make sure your last layer of pastry is buttered!
Then bake in a preheated 180°c for 35-40 mins
As soon as you take this out of the oven, add your syrup. Now the amount of syrup you use will depend on how you like your baklava. This amount is perfect for me, but you can start with half and judge from there if you’d like to add more!
Allow to cool for an hour uncovered then sprinkle with crushed pistachios before enjoying!
