Pineapple Pistachio Baklava With Creamy Kiwi Glaze Food

MINI PISTACHIO BAKLAVAS

Steps:

• Lay the phyllo tart shells out on a serving platter.
• Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pistachios and toast in the butter, stirring, until they have a nutty aroma, about 2 minutes. Add the honey, sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, until thick and bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Use two small spoons to scoop the pistachio filling into the shells. Cool to room temperature before serving.

PINEAPPLE PISTACHIO BAKLAVA WITH CREAMY KIWI GLAZE

Steps:

• Directions for the creamy kiwi glaze: 1) Whip cream cheese until creamy 2) Mix in powdered sugar then add dehydrated kiwi powder 3)Mix in 3 tablespoons of the whole milk 4)Add fresh kiwi but try not to stir to much you don't want the kiwi mushy. 5)Add the last tablespoon of whole milk.
• Directions for the Baklava: 1)VIP Follow all the instructions on the package of the phyllo dough for unthawing purposes. 2)Spray 9 by 13 in baking pan with Pam baking spray 3)Cut dough into 1/2 sheets with paring knife 4)Combine crushed pistachio nuts, well drained crushed pineapple, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract and honey in a bowl. 5)Melt butter in a bowl in microwave 6)Place a sheet of dough in the baking pan and lightly brush it with the melted butter; repeat this process until you have 8 sheets of thickness 7)Sprinkle the pistachio nut mixture on top of the buttered phyllo dough and repeat these two steps until the nut mixture is gone 8)Cut into any shape you want; I prefer the diamond shape 9)Bake at 350 degrees in the oven for 35 minutes; until the crust is golden brown. Be careful not to over cook because the Baklava will turn out really hard after it cools and it is supposed to be light and fluffy. 10) Let the Baklava cool for 40 minutes; pour the creamy kiwi glaze on top of the pieces. Do not pour too much glaze on each piece because it will be too sweet and over power the taste of the pistachio nut mixture inside the Baklava.
• Never refrigerate the Baklava it will become hard. I put mine in a covered plastic container. On the inside of the container I add tiny pieces of bread around the edges; it keeps the Baklava fresher.

PISTACHIO PINEAPPLE DESSERT

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350 degrees F. Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press firmly into bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan or 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool.
• BEAT cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, lime juice and pudding mix until smooth. Stir in pineapple. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into prepared pan.
• CHILL 6 hours or overnight. Garnish as desired.

PISTACHIO BAKLAVA

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely ground (or you can chop them by hand until very finely chopped). Don't overprocess the nuts. You want to maintain some texture.
• Clarify the butter by melting it over low heat, then letting it cook until the foam rises to the top and the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5 to 15 minutes depending upon how high your heat is, but don't rush it or the butter could burn.
• Skim foam off the top of the melted butter. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour the melted butter through.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees and brush the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a little of the clarified butter.
• Prepare the phyllo dough by trimming the stack of it with scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish. Packages of phyllo come in different sizes; some won't need any trimming, some may need an inch or two cut off a side, and some may need to be cut in half crosswise. Cover phyllo layers with a lightly damp kitchen towel, and keep covered.
• Place 1 piece of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; brush lightly with clarified butter. Layer phyllo sheets on top, brushing each sheet with butter as you go, until half the phyllo is used.
• Spread pistachios on phyllo in an even layer, then layer with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you go (rewarm butter if necessary).
• Cut the pastry into 36 pieces, using clean up-and-down strokes and rotating the pan if necessary. Make sure to cut all the way through to bottom of pan. Pour any remaining butter evenly over pan.
• Bake baklava until the top is golden brown, and the lower phyllo layers beneath the pistachios are thoroughly baked through. To test this, use a knife to lift up a corner of one of the pastry rectangles from the center of the pan so you can peek at the bottom layers. Start checking after 40 minutes, but it could take an hour or even 1 hour 10 minutes. If the top starts to get too brown before the pastry is cooked through, lay a piece of foil over the top.
• Meanwhile, prepare sugar syrup: In a medium pot, combine sugar with 1 2/3 cups/400 milliliters water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in lemon juice.
• When the baklava is baked through, reheat the syrup until it comes to a simmer. Remove pan from oven and place in the sink or on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips of syrup. Slowly pour hot sugar syrup over the pastry; it will bubble up and some may overflow. When the syrup stops bubbling, move pan to wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

PISTACHIO BAKLAVA WITH CARDAMOM AND ROSE WATER

Steps:

• . For the sugar syrup: Combine syrup ingredients, except rosewater, in small saucepan and bring to full boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that sugar dissolves. Transfer to 2-cup measuring cup and set aside to cool while making and baking baklava; when syrup is cool, discard peppercorns and stir in rosewater. (Cooled syrup can be refrigerated in airtight container up to 4 days.).
• Nut filling: Pulse pistachios in food processor until very finely chopped, about fifteen 1-second pulses; transfer to bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon nuts and set aside for garnish. Add ground cardamom, sugar, and salt; toss well to combine.
• To assemble and bake: Brush 13- by 9-inch traditional (not nonstick) baking pan with butter. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Unwrap and unfold phyllo on large cutting board; carefully smooth with hands to flatten. Using baking pan as guide, cut sheets crosswise with chef's knife, yielding two roughly evenly sized stacks of phyllo (one may be narrower than other). Cover with plastic wrap, then damp kitchen towel to prevent drying.
• Place one phyllo sheet (from wider stack) in bottom of baking pan and brush until completely coated with butter. Repeat with 7 more phyllo sheets (from wider stack), brushing each with butter.
• Evenly distribute about 1 cup nuts over phyllo. Cover nuts with phyllo sheet (from narrower stack) and dab with butter (phyllo will slip if butter is brushed on). Repeat with 5 more phyllo sheets (from narrower stack), staggering sheets slightly if necessary to cover nuts, and brushing each with butter. Repeat layering with additional 1 cup nuts, 6 sheets phyllo, and remaining 1 cup nuts. Finish with 8 to 10 sheets phyllo (from wider stack), using nicest and most intact sheets for uppermost layers and brushing each except final sheet with butter. Following illustration 6, use palms of hands to compress layers, working from center outward to press out any air pockets. Spoon 4 tablespoons butter on top layer and brush to cover all surfaces. Following illustration 7, use bread knife or other serrated knife with pointed tip in gentle sawing motion to cut baklava into diamonds, rotating pan as necessary to complete cuts. (Cut on bias into eighths on both diagonals.).
• Bake until golden and crisped, about 1 ½ hours, rotating baking pan halfway through baking. Immediately after removing baklava from oven, pour cooled syrup over cut lines until about 2 tablespoons remain (syrup will sizzle when it hits hot pan); drizzle remaining syrup over surface. Garnish center of each piece with pinch of reserved ground nuts. Cool to room temperature on wire rack, about 3 hours, then cover with foil and let stand at least 8 hours before serving. (Once cooled, baklava can be served, but flavor and texture improve if left to stand at least 8 hours. Baklava can be wrapped tightly in foil and kept at room temperature up to 10 days.).