Patricia Vasos
- BAKLAVA WITH CHEESECAKE
- Description
Baklava -an all time classic Greek pastry- with cheesecake. Tradition meets modernism with the fusion of two fantastic desserts…Cheesecake and Baklava.
Τime
Main ingredients
Cooking Method
Baked
Yields
12 Servings
Filling
| phyllo dough (14 thin sheets) | 1 package |
| cream cheese, softened | 4 cups |
| vanilla extract | 1 ½ teaspoon |
| sugar | 1 ½ cups |
| all-purpose flour | ½ cup |
| eggs | 2 |
| egg yolk | 1 |
| whole milk | ½ cup |
| unsalted butter,clarified,for brushing | 2 cups |
Nut mixture
| blanced almonds,finely chopped | 2 cups |
| walnuts,finely chopped | 2 cups |
| greek pastachio nuts,finely chopped | ½ cup |
| sugar | 1 cup |
| ground cinnamon | 1 tablespoon |
For the syrup
| greek thyme honey | 1 cup |
For serving
| powdered sugar and groundcinnamon | optional |
How to cook
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C).
- Using a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and 1 ½ cups sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, vanilla and mix till fluffy.
- In a small mixing bowl, add all the finely chopped nuts, ground cinnamon and ¾ cup sugar. With a spatula, mix well and set aside.
- In the cream cheese and sugar mixture add the flour and then the milk. Mix for 1 minute and set aside.
- In anoblong glass Pyrex bake ware dish, butter the bottom and sides. Carefully, open the phyllo and grab half of the sheets in the package. Wrap the remainder in a damp cloth and set in cool area to avoid drying.
- Begin adding 1 sheet at a time making sure to butter each sheet with a pastry brush. The sheets will not fit completely in the dish and will be used at the end by folding over all the sides to seal in the cheese batter.
- After the first 4 phyllo sheets have been placed, sprinkle part of the nut mix over the entire sheet fourth sheet. Repeat this process 3 more times (add phyllo sheet, butter and sprinkle the nut mix). At this point you have used half of the nut mix.Add one more phyllo sheet with butter only (no nuts).
- Add the cream cheese batter over the phyllo sheetand spread evenly with a spatula.
- Sprinkle the remaining nut mix over the cream cheese batter.
- Begin folding over the phyllo sheets that are lying on the sides of the dish making sure to butter each layer.
- Then lay the remaining6 phyllo sheets, placing them one at a time, fitting the dish exactly and then folding the remaining part it over (tucking in the sides under if necessary). Don’t forget to butter each layer.
- Over the top sprinkle a little water with your fingers.
- Bake for 70 minutes.
- In a small pot over a low heat warm the 1 cup of Greek honey.
- When the cheesecake baklava is ready let it set for 10 minutes and then pour the warm honey over the top.
- Cool for 3-4 hours before cutting. Optional: before serving pour a bit more of the warm honey.
