[WATCH] Dried fig and pistachio baklava

Watch Sean Gravina make a baklava stuffed with figs.

Dried fig and pistachio baklava

Ingredients

• 200 g butter, melted
• 2 X 270g packets (12 sheets) filo pastry

Honey syrup

• 300g sugar
• 100ml Greek honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 2 strips of orange zest
• 300ml water

Fig puree

• 150g dried figs
• 150g fig jam
• 150g black berries
• 150g black currant preserve
• 100g pistachios
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 orange, juice only

Method

1. To make the filling, blend all the ingredients except the cinnamon for the fig purée until smooth.
2. Stir in the cinnamon.  
3. Place all the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or until the liquid has reduced by a third. Leave to cool. (The syrup must be cool when it is poured over the pastry otherwise the pastry will go soggy.) 
   Blitz the puree ingredients  in a food processor until coarse, then tip into a bowl and stir through the cinnamon.
   Preheat the oven to 180°C.
5. Lightly grease a 40 x 25cm shallow tin with the melted butter (using a pastry brush if you have one).
6. Gently unfold the filo and cover with a damp tea towel to stop it drying out and cracking. 
   Layer sheets of filo in the tin and brush each layer with melted butter. After 4 layers, scatter over half the purée; repeat with 4 layers of filo, then the rest of the puree.
7. Top with the last 4 layers of filo, then generously butter the top.
8. Cut into diamonds with a sharp knife – ensure the blade goes right to the bottom. 
   Bake on the middle shelf of the oven on a hot baking sheet for 30–35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, reducing the temperature to 170°C if the baklava looks as though it is browning too quickly. 
   Remove the baklava from the oven and spoon half the cooled syrup over the top.
9. Leave for 5 mins, then spoon over the remaining syrup.
10. Allow the baklava to cool before removing the individual pieces from the dish with a palette knife.

This recipe first appeared on Gourmet Today TV, aired on TVM on 10 July, 2015.