baklava

Dearest Readers and Eaters,

Forgive me for slacking on my blog posts. I promise that I haven't stopped eating, which means that I still have a lot to share.



I'd like to start off by sharing my appetite for Turkey. When I was in Istanbul this summer I had a taste of the old city with a piece of pistachio baklava. In terms of aesthetics, the layered filo had a light brown coloring that reminded me of a very old library book (which is quite fitting since the Turks have been making this pastry since the Ottoman Empire).

The top layer glistened, which meant one thing...butter. When my eyes moved past the shiny filo, I became so enamored by the crushed pistachios garnished on top that I had my fork at hand seconds after it was placed before me.

As I cut into my piece, the syrupy sugar and chopped pistachios from the bottom of the pastry began oozing out. The whole experience was like an exotic adventure for my eyes, and an even better one for my palate. There was a seductive nature to this baklava as the sweet nutty flavors were so eloquently combined with a chewy texture. I knew I'd be overwhelmed with more than one bite so I put my fork down and continued to admire the foreign pastry.

If you don't usually indulge in super-sweet confections, it's certainly worth taking one bite and savoring it. You might find yourself falling in love so watch out for that second bite.

I haven't dared to bake baklava, but when I do I promise to share the recipe. If you're feeling brave, try using ready-made filo-dough to speed up the process. Just be sure to follow an authentic recipe.