My friend M had her birthday recently. What I didn’t realise was that her birthday is the same date as my our wedding anniversary so when we booked our trip to New Zealand months ago I didn’t realise that we’d be missing out on her birthday. She is such a good friend that she postponed her birthday celebration until we returned. She was having a celebration where a friend of hers Sara, a lovely lady that makes all manner of fantastic Persian delicacies, was making the food for her. So in turn I offered to make dessert for her and I have been dying to try and make a Baklava. I was inspired by Alejandra’s delicious Orange Hazelnut baklava and adapted her recipe.
I adore this dessert, it’s so sweet, sticky and delicious. I wanted to make something that fit the occasion and a flavouring such as rose and pistachio immediately sprang to mind. It’s one of my favourite combinations – if you’re a regular reader you’ll see evidence of my obsession with rose. While I was clarifying the butter I wondered if somehow browned butter would work. Browned butter is wonderfully aromatic with its nutty aroma so what better way to enhance the nutty flavour of a Baklava than using browned butter instead of regular melted butter.
I was nervous, this was my first time making baklava properly. I don’t usually do unusual things for events such as this where other people are tasting my food-certainly I felt out on a limb making baklava for the first time already but when you’re out on a branch, you may as well enjoy your time on the edge. The key to not having a soggy baklava is that the syrup and he pastry must be at opposite temperatures. Either you pour cold syrup over the hot baklava or warm syrup over the cold baklava. I chose the former as the timing suited me to make the syrup the night before and store it in the fridge.
Zereshk Polo Ba Zaferon: Saffron rice with berries
Tadige Nan: crunchy bread
Today is also the day for Persian New Year (at 10pm to be precise) which is what I learned from talking to Sara. We were lucky to try these fantastic dishes which she painstakingly made over 2 days. We were dining with Sara & Shahram; Dean and Penny; Esan and Ellie, Laura and of course M and her boys.
Khoreshte Gheyme Bademjan: Eggplant and lentils with tomato
Shirin Polo: Saffron rice with meatballs
Sara made Persian rice studded with berries, saffron rice with mini meatballs, a delicious eggplant bake with a lentil-ey bean, a rice, egg and chicken layered dish and gorgeously crunchy bread. We feel absolutely spoilt by all of the delicious food. “Sale No Mobarak” or Happy New Year in Persian!
Tachine Morgh: Rice layered with chicken and egg
And did the baklava work? Thankfully it worked a treat. The baklava was crunchy with a light aroma of rose and the ultimate compliment came from the Persian and Iranian guests Sara and Ellie who were very complimentary about it. And like an actress drawn to the drama, or a moth to the flame I am a ham when it comes to food and compliments like that only spur me on and encourage me to enjoy my time out on the proverbial limb.
Rose & Pistachio Browned Butter Baklava
An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Makes 16 triangles
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 375 grams/13.25ozs packed of Filo pastry sheets (refrigerated kind)
- 200grams/7ozs butter
- 1/2 cup ground almonds
- 1/2 cup pistachios, ground in a food processor
- 1/2 cup almonds, ground in a food processor
- 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Syrup:
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon rosewater essence
- 4 strips of orange zest
- 3 strips of lemon zest
Directions
1. Make the syrup first. It will need 1.5 hours to cool at room temperature and is best when cold so I like to make this the night before. Combine all ingredients on low heat until sugar dissolves completely. Then turn up heat to medium high and boil for 20 minutes until syrup thickens and turns a slight golden shade. Cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for best results.
Clarifying butter
2. Brown and clarify the butter. Simmer the butter until it becomes white and foamy on top, skim off this white foam and discard the foam. Turn heat up a little to medium and when it starts to brown remove from heat (the aroma is a good way to tell, it will smell nutty). Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the nuts, breadcrumbs and spices i.e. everything for the pastry except for the pastry itself. Ensure that it is mixed well.
4. Unwrap the Filo and using a sharp knife trim the pastry so that it fits your pan (slightly larger is better than slightly smaller). Place excess pastry back in the packet and refrigerate.
5. Wet a teatowel until damp but not soaking and cover the filo with the teatowel to stop it from drying out.
6. Using a pastry brush, layer 10 layers of pastry across bottom. Brush between each layer with the melted butter. Since my pastry was just over double the size I used 5 sheets of Filo.
7. Using a spoon distribute a thin layer of the nut mixture on top of the 10 layers of Filo. Then keep alternating 2 layers of buttered Filo with a thin layer of the nut mixture until the nut mixture is used up. Then finish with layering with Filo pastry and buttering between each layer. Butter top layer too.
8. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross into the baklava and then cut triangles as shown. I used a sharp knife to cut through most of the layers but then a blunter knife to get right to the bottom so that it didn’t break the foil tin. Butter edges with more butter. You may have some butter leftover (use it for a pasta or gnocchi sauce, it’s delicious).
9. Bake in the 180C/350F degree oven for 30 minutes then lower the heat to 150C/300F and continue baking for 30 minutes or until the pastry has puffed up slightly and taken on a light golden hue.
10 . Remove pastry from oven and while it is still very hot, carefully pour the syrup over, a bit at a time until the syrup is absorbed. The pastry will make a satisfying crackle when you do this. You may not need to use all of the syrup (it’s delicious with sparkling mineral water).
11. Cool at room temperature. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days.
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53 Comments | Add your own
This baklava is to die for! What a great blend of delicate flavors! I’m drooling!
Cheers,
Rosa
These look AMAZING – super professional – can’t believe it’s your first go making Baklava!! ***** (five star!)
I’m so impressed! I can’t make baklava for the life of me!
That looks so gorgeously sweet but not that sickly sweet that I couldnt eat at least 2 pieces!!!
Great job! It looks fabulous
I didn’t realise it was the New Year.. I have a Persian friend that I’ll have to wish a happy new year too!
Wow, gorgeous photos of the baklava – and beautiful presentation with the roses.
Nice work NQN!
Stunning as per usual!
Wow!! For your first time making baklava this sure looks amazing & professional. Have you ever considered opening your own sweets shoppe?
Words fail me… this is incredible, Lorraine! Such a simple change to brown the butter, but after that glorious browned butter frosting we did a few months back, I can well imagine how fabulous it would taste in baklava.
And as for the rest of the feast… I just wish I could have tasted it. Scrumptious!
That is beautiful! I love roses so much. The rest of the food looks delicious, too.
Wow, the baclava looks amazing, you got golden hands as they say in Greek!
And the Persian food looks so delicious – you don’t happen to have any of the recipes do you?
My husband and I honeymooned in Egypt and ate the equivalent of a small truckload of filo desserts while there, so I’m definitely saving your recipe for our anniversary this year. It looks amazing, and he’ll be so surprised.
The browned butter is a fantastic touch.
Thanks for the idea!
Oh my. That looks amazing!
That is so sweet of your friend to postpone her birthday celebration….. and you sure spoilt her with your gorgeous baklava. what a lovely little celebration- to tie in the food to persian new year.
My 3 favourite things in one dish – Rose, Pistachio and Baklava. YUM! You are a superstar.
Wow!! Yum yum yum, Lorraine!!
Yummie things like that I can buy at my local Moroccan bakery!! Maybesome day you could open your own dessert or patisserie shop!!!! Why don’t you?
The colours in those dishes are so bright and amazing. And it’s great that your friends appreciated your lovely contribution – pistachio and rose, what’s not to love?
Beautiful photos NQN! I love the little rose buds. It’s very brave of you to be creative with a new recipe and I’m so pleased it paid off.
Gorgeous step by step photos. It looks delicious!
Beautiful! Phyllo scares me. You are brave and very talented indeed.
beautiful photos lorraine. that baklava looks wonderful.
Hey, I’d postpone my birthday bash if it meant you’d bring along something like this! Looks absolutely delicious!
This is so beautiful! I love the combination of roses with pistachios, it looks stunning.
Yummy baklava! Beautiful presentation and they look so sinfully sweet and tasty mmmmmm ^^! Does this mean u will b making lots more XD?
This is definitely the prettiest looking baklava that I have ever seen!
Wow, it looks beautiful! Rose and pistachio is definitely a winner.
Pistachio baklava and rose all in one recipe, this is a brilliant dessert Lorraine!
My sweet tooth is at the maximum now with your excellent job
Cheers!
Gera
Ooooh this looks so pretty! I love how you’ve been doing so many rose related things lately.
And your nails (sort of) match the colour of the rose buds on the plate.
Did you make the saffron rice too? I love it, there’s this Persian restaurant in Covent Garden that serves 3 amazing types of ‘herby’ rice with all their mains, you’d probably love it. Come to London again!
I’m such a huge fan of middle eastern food, and more so the baklava. This looks totally fantastic!
Good work with this. Sounds like the payoff was well worth it
That baklava looks beautiful and so fitting for the new year!
You never cease to amaze me! How you manage to take incredible photos while you’re making complicated recipes is beyond me! I need all my powers of concentration for the baking!
*off to buy some baklava from down the street*
I almost fainted when I saw that you used browned butter rather than clarified butter in your baklava – and that was in a good way! My mouth was watering whilst thinking of all that nutty gorgeousness just shot through with the flavor of roses. Heavenly!
OMG! I am new fan of yours NQN, having only recently discovered your site through a fellow food-a-holic. Funnily enough,I have been enjoying a recent obsession with Baklava,and keen to make some, I looked through your archives only last week for a tried and tested NQN to-die-for Baklava receipe. And here it is!thanks so much, I am definately going to make this! I can only hope it might look and taste half as gorgeous as yours does!
yum – this looks delicious – and the dinner party looks amazing! a feast worthy of your baklava
I love Persian food. Great photos!
Oh a dessert after my heart! I absolutely love love love baklava and I love love love anything rose flavoured! You certainly know how to romance a girl
The photos are stunning! I love a well made baklava and yours is particularly pretty and the other dishes are making my mouth water!
Oh, that baklava looks absolutely heavenly! Love the pistachio flavor. Beautiful!
wow, your pictures are amazing! wish i could’ve been at the feast!
That baklava looks so good!
i didn’t think baklava could ever be made more beautiful to my eyes, but you’ve managed to do it. gorgeous.
How adventurous of you to try making baklava. It’s one of the more initimdating things I can think of making. Turned out quite nicely!
wow these Baklava look so nice and delicious
Nice job. Wish I could taste them too .
Hi Rosa-Thankyou so much!
Hi kyle-I was really crossing my fingers that this would work, I usually don’t try things for the firt time for events! Thanks!
Hi. Blond Duck-I thought the same thing until I tried making this-honest!
Hi sandra-I’m amazed that I could have so many pieces, although baklava is one of those things that I can eat a lot of
Hi Y-I didn’t realise it until I was told but I think it’s a pretty big deal!
Hi Christie-Thanks so much dahlink!
x
Hi MsGourmet-Why thankyou!
Hi Kathy-Thanks
Haha I have,many times, ever since I was little! 
Hi Angela-Aww shucks thankyou
Yes it just came to me while I was clarifying iut but it really does make it amazingly nutty! 
The food was lovely that afternoon!
Hi anna-Me too, I have an obsession with rose flavoured items I think
Hi Carine-Aww thankyou, that’s so cool of you to say!
I have asked Sara for the recipes, hopefully she can translate them as English is not her first language 
Hi Amanda-What a great place for a honeymoon! What a great idea to make it for your anniversary, I love it! You’re more than welcome
Hi LindaS-Thanks so much!
Hi Kirsty-It was! I felt like it was compensation for having to postpone it
Hi Vita-Thanks so much! That’s very kind of you to say
Hi Sophie-I’d love to although I don’t know where I’d start!
Hi belle-Thanks! I love the colours of pistachio and fig with the greens and pinks
Hi Arwen-Thankyou!
I thought for a while it was foolish rather than brave but breathed a sigh of relief when it worked out 
Hi Barbara-Thanks so much!
Hi BethieofVA-Aww shucks, thankyou! It used to scare me too but I think using refrigerated helped as I have heard frozen can be hard when not properly thawed.
Hi reddoorread-Thanks so much!
Hi Angela-Haha I really liked eating it but making it made my neck very sore bending over and buttering each layer!
Hi Anita-Thanks so much!
Hi FFichiban-They are sinfully sweet but I can eat a half dozen easily, I don’t know why! If I can work out a way to butter the layers quicker sure
Hi Sara-Thankyou! I wanted to make sure it was pretty as it was for a birthday and it was her “birthday cake”
Hi Bria-Thanks, I love that combo too
Hi Gera-Thanks, you are too kind Gera!
Hi Su-yin-I think I am slightly obsessed
Haha yes! Like a dark red rose perhaps 
I didn’t make the rice, M’s friend Sara made it and it was delicious. I’d love to come to London again-there is so much brilliant food there!
Hi Simon-Me too, I love middle eastern food and the desserts hold a special place for me!
It was worth it in the end!
Hi Brittany-Thanks! It was amazingly good timing indeed
Hi Tiffany-Why thankyou! I don’t know, that day I was lucky to have my hubby there to take pictures but otherwise it involves a lot of juggling
Hi Midge-Oh good! I thought you meant in a bad way at first
It makes it amazingly nutty. I don’t think I’d use unbrowned butter if I did it again!
Hi Clare-Oh cool! That’s wonderful to hear
I can definitely say that this recipe works well, I’m definitely not an experienced baklava maker so if I can make it, anyone can! 
Hi Johanna-Thankyou so much!
Hi maris-Me too, I wish there were more restaurants!
Hi Karen-Haha and here was I not even knowing that i was doing so?
Hi Moya-Thankyou for your kind comment!
Hi 5 Star Foodie-I’m addicted to pistachio and rose as a combo
Hi DessertObsessed-Thanks so much! I was very lucky to be a part of it
Hi Kevin-Thanks!
Hi grace-Aww thankyou, you are too kind!
Hi Jude-I have always wanted to make my own. Definitely harder work than one would think but very rewarding!
Hi snooky doodle-Thanks so much. If I could teleport them to you I would!
Amazing!!! It’s so beautiful that I could stand in front of these photos for hours!…
Hi Dimitra-Thanks so much for your kind words!
Wow… I love your website. I’d love to try making this baklava.
When you say ’strip of zest’, what do you mean? Is that similar to a teaspoon?
Hi Jess-Thankyou! Wonderful
If you get your lemon or orange and using a vegetable peeler peel of a bit of the zest maybe 4 cms long or so 
In the list of ingredients, you have sugar twice for two amounts. I’m assuming we should use both, but should that be combined as one on the list?
Excellent recipe and directions, it’s looking awesome so far. I’m making a vegan version.
Hi Lori-Thankyou so much for that! I’ve corrected it
How very cool! I’d love to know how the vegan version works out!
Oh my god,,,,this a the best looking baklava ever. How do you manage to make art out of everything eatable? Amazing!
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