Baklava

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 pounds filo dough

8 cups shelled walnuts

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

SYRUP

4 cups granulated white sugar

3 cups water

1 cinnamon stick

1 piece orange peel

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1/2 lemon

1.     Preheat oven to 325ºF. Combine nuts and spices in bowl.

2.     Melt butter and add oil. Keep warm while brushing filo. Brush bottom of pan with butter. Place 1 filo in pan, brush with butter and add another filo, continue until there are 4 layers of filo in bottom of pan.

3.     Brush with butter and sprinkle 1/4 pastry with nut mixture. Allow 2 pastry layers between nut filling; butter between each sheet of filo. Repeat until all nut mixture is used. End with 3 top layers of filo. Cut before baking with a sharp knife. Cut lengthways first and then cut diagonally to make diamond shapes. (Pour any extra butter/oil mixture over top.) Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

4.     To make syrup: Cover and boil to approximately 220ºF the sugar, water, cinnamon stick and orange peel. Then add honey, light corn syrup and the lemon juice to the sugar/water mixture. Bring to a boil, cool and pour over hot Baklava. I usually make the syrup while the Baklava is cooking and then pour it over the Baklava as soon as I remove it from the oven.

Servings: 20

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Baking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes