Floral-Scented Baklava

Ingredients

Scented syrup

• 1½ cups light unbleached sugar or white beet sugar
• ¾ cup water
• 2 tbsp rose water, orange blossom water, or regular water with 1 or 2 drops lavender essential oil blended in
• 1 lb phyllo pastry, cut in half to make 9x13" sheets
• 1 cup margarine (Earth Balance), melted

Filling

• 4 cups chopped walnuts (you can also use hazelnuts)
• ½ cup light unbleached sugar or white beet sugar
• 2 tbsp floral water as above

Directions

Scented syrup

1. Boil the water and sugar together for 2 minutes.
2. Add the floral water.
3. Cool a bit, then refrigerate.

Filling

1. Grind the walnuts, sugar and floral water together in a food processor until it’s almost paste-like.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F .

Assemble the baklava

1. Brush a 9x13" baking pan with the melted margarine.
2. Place a sheet of phyllo pastry in the pan, brush with margarine and continue this till you have used up half the phyllo pastry and half the margarine.
3. Distribute the filling evenly over the top.
4. Layer the rest of the phyllo pastry and margarine, brushing the top with margarine (you should have just enough margarine)
5. Cut 1"-wide long strips, right through to the bottom of the pan, and then cut on the diagonal to make diamond shapes.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F and bake about 10 minutes more, or til golden brown and puffy.
7. Re-cut the pieces you have already cut, then pour the syrup over the whole thing.
8. It will look like it’s sitting in a pool of syrup, but it gets absorbed.
9. Let it cool on a rack at room temperature for several hours before serving.