Lungelo Mbele's Honey Baklava Recipe

“On 31st July Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine was invited to the 2022 Honey Festival Competitions hosted by the KZN Beefarmers Association. These were the recipes demonstrated by the students.”

— JACKIE CAMERON

Lungelo Mbele's Honey Baklava

INGREDIENTS

Servings: 20

• 350g Roasted Nuts, chopped coarsely

• 45ml Treacle Sugar

• 75ml Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

• 45ml Freshly grated Lemon zest

• 50g Honey

• 125g Salted Butter, for brushing the pastry.

• 200g Phyllo Pastry

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the Nuts, Sugar, Lemon Juice, Lemon Zest and Honey in a bowl.

2. Melt the Butter and set aside.

3. In a 20x20cm serving dish, layer 7 sheets of Phyllo Pastry, brushing each layer with melted Butter. Keep the remaining sheets of Phyllo covered with a damp Tea towel to prevent them drying out and becoming brittle.

4. Spread two-thirds of the filling on top of the Pastry stack.

5. Add five sheets of Phyllo Pastry, brushing each sheet with melted Butter.

6. Spread the remaining one-third of the filling on top.

7. Add the final two sheets of Pastry, brushing each sheet with melted Butter.

8. Using a sharp knife and working from one corner, cut diagonal lines across the dish, to form diamond shapes. Make sure you cut through all the layers.

9. Just before placing the dish into the oven, sprinkle the Baklava with a little Water (This will prevent the top layer of phyllo pastry from lifting where the cuts were made; add more splashes when cooking, if necessary).

10. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 30-45 minutes, until the Pastry is cooked and golden on top.

11. Allow to cool before serving.