Get Premium access to all the latest content online
Subscribe and view full print editions online... Subscribe
Rosewater and pistachio baklava ice cream parfait
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
- 100g shelled pistachio nuts
- 50g blanched almonds
- 1⁄2tsp ground cinnamon
- 2tbsp soft brown sugar
- 8 sheets filo pastry
- 50g unsalted butter
- grated zest and juice 1⁄2 lemon
- 200g runny honey – any flavour or colour works here, although buy one flavoured with rosewater if you can find it
- 2tbsp rose flower water
- 1-litre good-quality vanilla ice cream, softened
- dried rose petal buds, to serve
Method
This honey-infused baklava is given a new twist as it’s frozen in layers of vanilla ice cream.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas 4. Place the pistachio nuts, almonds and cinnamon in a food processor and blend until the nuts are coarsely ground. Stir in the sugar and reserve 4tbsp of the nut mixture for serving.
Lightly oil a 23cm square cake tin. Cut each pastry sheet in half and trim it so that it fits into the tin. Brush each of the sheets with butter and then press into the prepared tin to make 8 layers. Scatter over the nut mixture and then top with the remaining sheets of pastry, brushing with melted butter each time.
Brush over any remaining butter, bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 170C/325F/Gas 3 and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove from the oven and, using a skewer, prick the surface all over the pastry.
Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Place the lemon zest, juice, honey and 100ml water in a saucepan and heat gently until boiling. Simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the rose flower water. Immediately pour three quarters of the honey syrup over the baklava and leave to go cold in the tin.
Turn the pastry out of the tin and cut in half. Spread a third of the softened ice cream into the base of a lightly oiled 1kg loaf tin and place one half of the baklava on top. Repeat with the ice cream and remaining baklava and finally the remaining ice cream. Smooth the top and cover with cling film. Freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer 20 minutes before serving and turn out cut into slices. Drizzle over the remaining syrup and decorate with dried rose petals and reserved chopped nuts.
Advertisement