makes 48 (2-inch / 5 cm) cylinders
I am always looking for cool ways to repurpose tradition. Baklava with Greek coffee syrup is one of the many modern desserts born of that desire! Note that the phyllo will need to defrost overnight in the fridge, so plan ahead.
1 pound (450 g) #7 commercial phyllo, thawed overnight in the refrigerator
½ cup ground Greek coffee
4 cups (400 g) walnuts, ground in a food processor (about 5 cups whole)
½ cup (100 g) sugar, plus more as needed for the syrup
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cloves
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup (1 stick / 115 g) unsalted butter, melted and preferably clarified (see Note)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
Remove the thawed phyllo from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
In a saucepan, stir together the ground coffee and 5 cups (1.2 L) water and heat over medium heat until the mixture foams up and simmers. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Carefully pour the liquid part only into a bowl, leaving the thick sludge to settle on the bottom of the pot. Discard that.
In a large bowl using a fork, combine the walnuts, sugar, spices, orange zest, and 3 tablespoons of the prepared Greek coffee.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). Lightly oil or butter a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan.
Open the phyllo, lay it flat, and cover it with a kitchen towel. Take one sheet of phyllo at a time and spread it open on a clean work surface so that it is horizontally in front of you. Brush the surface with some of the melted butter and fold the phyllo sheet in half horizontally. Spread about 5 level tablespoons of the filling across the bottom of the phyllo, about ½ inch (1.5 cm) in from the edge. Roll up the phyllo to form a cylinder about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. Place it seam-side down inside the buttered pan. Repeat with remaining sheets and filling, placing each long cylinder of baklava snugly next to the other, until the baking pan is filled and either the phyllo or the filling has been used up. The cylinders will most likely be longer than the inside of the pan, so cut off the excess and discard. Use a small, sharp serrated knife to cut into pieces about 2 inches (5 cm) long. Brush generously with some of remaining melted butter. Bake, uncovered, until the phyllo is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
While the baklava is baking, measure out the remaining coffee and pour it into a saucepan. Add an equal volume of sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook until the syrup starts to thicken but is still quite loose, about 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Remove the hot baklava from the oven and, using a ladle, spoon over enough of the cooled coffee syrup for the baklava to absorb it without getting too soggy or overly wet. Let the baklava sit for a few hours at room temperature, or even overnight, to absorb the syrup.
If desired, cook down the remaining syrup until it is dense and thick, almost as thick as honey. Set aside.
Cut a few pieces of baklava and serve them snugly next to one another on a plate, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with the reduced coffee syrup, if desired, and serve.
NOTE: To clarify butter, melt it in a small pot over medium heat or in the microwave for a few minutes until the butter is liquid and the milk solids have separated and accumulated on the surface. Using a spoon, skim off and discard the solids. What remains is clarified butter.
To make Greek coffee, in a small pot or briki, the long-handled, tapered Greek coffee pot, place the desired amount of ground coffee and water. For a basic demitasse cup, for example, you will need 1 heaping teaspoon ground Greek coffee and ¾ demitasse cup water. For a medium-sweet coffee, the coffee-to-sugar ratio is 1:1—in other words, 1 teaspoon ground coffee per 1 teaspoon sugar.
Bring to a simmer, stirring. As soon as the coffee starts to foam up, remove from the heat and let it set. Pour the liquid into the cup. Serve.
For the two recipes in this chapter that require prepared Greek coffee (here and here), make the coffee in a saucepan without sugar, let the muddy sediment settle on the bottom of the pan, and pour the coffee off as needed.
