Baklava

Ingredient

1 pound walnuts, pecans, or pistachios finely chopped

½ cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 ½ cup butter (3 sticks), melted

1 package (16 ounce) frozen Phyllo dough, thawed

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup honey (12 ounces)

½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Combine and set aside walnuts, ½ cup sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the bottom and sides of a 9x13 inch pan with melted butter. Open the Phyllo dough and layer 6 whole leafs in the pan, buttering each layer as you go (the edges will extend over the side). Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture. Layer 8 half sheets, buttering each layer. Each sheet will be an inch or so short, so stagger the sheets from corner to corner to cover the whole pan. Spread 1 cup of the walnut mixture. Repeat 8 sheets and walnut mixture twice. You will end up with 4 layers of nuts. Layer the remaining half sheets on top, again, buttering each layer. Brush the top with the remaining butter. Tuck or trim the edges. Cut halfway through the layers in a diagonal, diamond pattern. Bake 1 hour or until golden brown. 15 minutes before the baklava should be done, mix 1 cup sugar, water, and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Cook sauce over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add the honey and vanilla, and stir until well blended. Remove the baklava from the oven and finish cutting through the layers. Pour the sauce over the hot baklava. Cool. Let baklava sit for at least 24 hours (lightly covered, but not in the refrigerator) or longer if you can stand it!