Apricot Baklava
- 1 cup raisins (light or dark)
- 1/4 cup apricot flavored white wine
- 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, pressed down
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon white wine (from raisins)
- 1 cup cashews (chopped roughly)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 20 filo pastry (buy frozen and thaw before using)
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- SYRUP
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup water, reserved from apricots soak or 1/4 cup canned apricot nectar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon wine, from raisins soak
- Warm 3/4 cup wine in saucepan and remove from heat
- Add raisins and soak for 2 - 4 hours
- Put apricots in saucepan and cover with water
- Bring to boil and simmer for 40-45 minutes till very tender
- Drain and reserve liquid if any left
- Process apricots in food processor or mash till smooth
- Put in large bowl
- Add drained raisins, reserving the wine
- Mix in white sugar, cinnamon, 1/2 tsp wine (from the raisins), vanilla, brown sugar
- Allow to cool
- Mix in cashews
- Butter a 13X9X2 baking pan
- Open filo sheets and cut to size of pan
- Process one at a time keeping the rest covered
- Brush butter on top of one sheet and place in pan
- Repeat with 10 sheets one at a time and layer them in pan
- Cover last sheet with apricot mixture
- Cover with the next 10 filo sheets buttering each one as before
- Slice through the top layers diagonally to create diamonds
- Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes till brown on top
- Put on rack to cool before adding syrup
- SYRUP
- In saucepan mix honey, water, nectar (reserved from apricots), sugar, vanilla and wine (from the raisins)
- Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes
- Allow to cool completely
- Drizzle on Baklava
- Cover and cool for several hours
- Best if cooled overnight
raisins, apricot flavored white wine, pressed down, cinnamon, white sugar, white wine, cashews, vanilla, brown sugar, pastry, unsalted butter, syrup, honey, water, water, white sugar, vanilla, wine
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/apricot-baklava-116423 (may not work)