White Chocolate & Raspberry Baklava

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 12

Ingredients

Syrup
1½ cups caster sugar
1 cup water
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp rosewater
1 tsp lemon juice

½ cup crushed pistachio nuts

½ cup of crushed walnuts

1 cup of clarified butter, melted
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
375g packet of fillo pastry
200g of white chocolate buttons, roughly chopped
½ cup dried raspberries
1 packet of Persian fairy floss

Method

Grease a rectangular baking dish and preheat the oven to 170°C.

Add all of the syrup ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for five minutes. Take off the heat and allow to cool at room temperature.

In a bowl combine the crushed pistachios and walnuts, breadcrumbs, raspberries and the white chocolate, then set aside.

Place two sheets of fillo pastry on top of each other on a bench place a wooden dowel (or a chopstick) about half inch in diameter on the bottom of the sheet, then fold the bottom 10cm of the pastry over itself, keeping the chopstick inside. Brush all over the with melted butter, then sprinkle the folded section with nut mixture. Roll the pastry loosely into a log.

Place your fingers at the ends of the pastry log and gently push towards the center, crimping the pastry as you go, then push the pastry off the dowel or chopstick. Roll baklava into a spiral and place in greased baking dish.

Use all remaining fillo the same way placing each rolled piece close to one another to stop them opening up as they cook. Brush the spirals with melted butter and bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

As soon as they come out of the oven, pour over syrup and set aside until cool. Garnish with some Persian fairy floss, pistachios and some dried raspberries.