Delicious GF Research, and a Dream Come True!

I had my first taste of baklava at a wedding reception when I was about 11 or 12 years old. I just couldn’t get over the crispy, slightly syrupy sweet nuttiness in the shape of small acutely angled diamonds.

For weeks, I looked all over the recipe. I nicely asked the lady who made them what the name of the dessert was, and she told me the name of it and spelled it, but she didn’t give me the recipe. I didn’t stop until I tracked down the recipe in a cookbook. Then I looked all over for phyllo sheets (also known as “fillo” or “filo” leaves) the lean paper thin dough that is ubiquitous in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisine.

Since I’m from the country, a small town about an hour from Orlando, we had to drive half an hour to the closest bigger city to get it from the grocery store. I succeeded in making it on the very first attempt. From that point on, I made it over and over again. At this point, I have my own recipe for it, except what you see here is completely gluten free.

This baklava is made of hand-rolled GF phyllo, which is something you’re going to have a nearly impossible time finding at a store! This baklava is made from toasted pecans, orange blossom honey, European-style butter, and warm spices. To me, it's absolutely heaven! And the little diamond shapes still trip my trigger… What's your opinion? Do you love baklava? And if you do, what do you like about it so much? I'd love to know.