Blueberry And Nut Baklava Spirals Food

MIXED NUT & HONEY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Place all the syrup ingredients in a medium saucepan with 300ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by a third. Leave to cool. (The syrup must be cool when it is poured over the pastry otherwise the pastry will go soggy.)
• Blitz the nuts in a food processor until coarse, then tip into a bowl and stir through the cinnamon and cloves.
• Melt the butter, using a little of it to lightly grease a 40 x 25cm shallow tin with a pastry brush. Gently unfold the filo and cover with a damp tea towel to stop it cracking.
• Layer sheets of filo in the tin and brush each layer with melted butter. After 4 layers, scatter over half the nut mixture; repeat with 4 layers of filo, then the rest of the nuts. Top with the last 4 layers of filo, then generously butter the top. Cut into diamonds with a sharp knife - ensure the blade goes right to the bottom.
• Bake on the middle shelf of the oven on a hot baking sheet for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp, reducing the temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 if the baklava looks as though it is browning too quickly.
• Remove the baklava from the oven and spoon half the cooled syrup over the top. Leave for 5 minutes, then spoon over the remaining syrup. Allow the baklava to cool before removing the individual pieces from the dish with a palette knife.

BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 21cm x 21cm square cake tin with butter. Chop the nuts into small pieces using a food processor, taking care not to blitz them to a paste. Put them into a bowl, stir in the honey and a pinch of salt and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. Cut the first pack of filo pastry sheets in half (so that they fit the tin). Put one sheet in the tin and brush with the melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and brush with butter again, keep layering like this until the whole pack is used up.
• Spread the honey and nut mixture over the pastry and press it down lightly with the back of a spoon. Open the other pack of filo, cut in half and continue the layering and buttering process. When you reach the last sheet pour any remaining butter over the top to finish. Use a sharp knife to cut deep lines into the pastry to create either squares or diamond shapes then bake in the oven for 20 mins.
• Reduce the heat to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and bake for a further 45 mins. While the baklava cooks put all the syrup ingredients into a saucepan and add 200ml water. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then boil the mixture for 8-10 mins or until it has reduced to the consistency of runny honey.
• When the baklava comes out of the oven, pour the warm syrup over the top, allowing it to run into the lines you have cut. Leave it to soak in and serve when it's completely cold.

BLUEBERRY BANANA LOAF

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Set oven rack to second-lowest position.
• Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
• In a bowl combine the flour with the next 4 dry ingredients.
• In a bowl, cream the butter with sugar and vanilla until fluffy (about 4-5 minutes until no sugar granules remain, this is important!).
• Add in eggs, and beat well (about 2-3 minutes).
• Mix in the mashed banana until combined, then using a wooden spoon mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
• Fold in the blueberries.
• Transfer to prepared baking pan.
• Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

MIXED-NUT HONEY BAKLAVA

Steps:

• Soak the diced figs in the rum in a large bowl for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the walnuts and almonds out on a baking sheet and toast until darkened and fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. Toss the nuts, chocolate, sugar, and spices with the figs and the rum.
• Bring the butter to a simmer over low heat. Skim and discard the foamy solids that rise to the top until the butter is clear, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Lightly butter a 16 1/2 by 11 1/2-inch sheet pan. Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll and lay it on the counter next to the pan and cover with a kitchen towel. Lay 1 sheet of the phyllo on the pan and brush lightly with butter. Repeat with 11 more sheets of phyllo working quickly and keeping the phyllo covered, as you assemble the baklava. Scatter 1/3 of the nut mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over the layers of phyllo. Repeat 2 more times and top with the remaining 12 sheets of dough. Carefully, cut 3/4 of the way through the phyllo and nut filling to make about 96 (1 1/2-inch) squares.
• Bake the baklava until light brown and cooked through, about 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake until golden crisp, about 5 to 8 more minutes.
• While the baklava crisps make the syrup: Heat the sugar, honey, and water in a saucepan over high heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon juice and carefully pour the hot syrup over the just baked baklava, making sure to get into all the cuts. Let cool. Complete the pre-made cuts in the baklava and serve with some honey drizzled on top.
• Store the baklava in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

BLUEBERRY BANANA NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 4 1/2x8 1/2-inch loaf pan.
• Stir and coat blueberries with 2 tablespoons cake flour in a bowl.
• Mix coated blueberries, oats, pecans, 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons cake flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• Beat white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, Greek yogurt, and applesauce together in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beat after each addition. Add vanilla extract and mashed banana; beat lightly until well blended.
• Stir blueberry-flour mixture into yogurt mixture until just moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Cut butter into 1/4 cup brown sugar in a small bowl until crumbly; sprinkle over batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes; remove from pan and cool on wire rack for 1 hour.

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAKFAST BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 1 inch of parchment hanging over the sides.
• Mix oats, figs, almonds, and 1/4 cup sunflower seeds together in a bowl.
• Stir bananas, peanut butter, and honey together in a saucepan over medium-low heat until completely melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat.
• Whisk egg whites together in a bowl until foamy. Mix banana mixture into egg whites and whisk until smooth; add oat mixture and stir until batter well combined. Fold blueberries into batter. Press batter into the prepared pan; top with flax seeds and 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

BLUEBERRY-BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

FRUIT AND NUT BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine apricots, raisins and white wine and allow the fruit to soak for at least 2 hours
• Preheat over to 300 degrees
• Mix cashews, sugar and spices in a separate bowl
• Place a layer of phyllo into a 13x9 pan and brush with melted butter
• Repeat to make 5 layers
• As you work, keep the dough coveed with a damp towel
• Spread 1/4 of the fruit and nuts over the phyllo
• Repeat layers of phyllo and fruit/nuts ending with a layer of phyllo
• With a very sharp knife, slice through the top few layers in a diamond pattern
• Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour
• Warm honey in saucepan or in microwave
• Pour warmed honey over pastry and allow to soak inches
• Allow to cool and serve

BLUEBERRY BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add creamed mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in bananas. Fold in blueberries., Pour into three greased 5-3/4x3x2-in. loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes or. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.