Pastries: Greek Baklava by Recipe Cottage

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	Greek Baklava

		2 lbs filo, thawed 2 lbs clarified butter, melted 2 lbs ground walnuts 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1/2 cup sugar Butter base and sides of a 12" x 17" x 1" pan well, and place 12 sheets of filo separately into the pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter. (While layering filo in the pan, make sure to keep the remaining layers covered with a towel so that they will not dry out and become brittle.) Mix the walnuts, cinammon, and sugar in a bowl. Lightly sprinkle some of the nut mixture over the filo. Top with 3 more sheets of filo, buttering each. Continue process until all of the nut mixture is gone. Top off baklava with 14 sheets of filo, buttering each. With a sharp knife, cut into diamond shapes (approximately 1" x 2"). Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Then lower temperature to 300 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes. Pour cooled syrup (see below) over hot baklava! Enjoy! Baklava Syrup 7 cups sugar 5 cups water 1/2 lemon, squeezed (retain rind) 3 cinnamon sticks 5 or 6 whole cloves Place all ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves (lemon rind will keep sugar from crystallizing). Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 30 to 45 minutes or until medium syrup is achieved. Remove rind, cinnamon, and cloves. Cool syrup to lukewarm state and pour over hot baklava.