Chef Jay Kumar’s Cashew Baklava Recipe
Honey and clove and cardamom, oh my!
Wrap up a picnic meal a sweet denouement: a killer cashew baklava, straight from Chef Jay Kumar. Best known for his namesake restaurant, Jay’s, in Basel, Switzerland, which was open for over 20 years (that’s like a century in restaurant years!), he recently opened Lore in Brooklyn. And he’s also the executive delicious-pastry-maker of this week’s newsletter. Sweet! -NPH
This cashew baklava — with honey, clove, cardamom and, of course, cashews — is layered between buttery sheets of phyllo and is perfect for a picnic. When I was traveling in Turkey, the sweets I fell in love with were the baklava. They had so many different varieties: pistachio, walnut…but no cashew. I wanted to create a baklava that connected me to India, so I used cashews to create a decidedly Desi version of the Middle Eastern dessert. (India is one of the world’s biggest producers of cashew nuts.)
This dish is a great way to add an Indian accent to your picnic. Decadent enough for dessert, but still light enough for summer.
Jay Kumar’s Cashew Baklava
Servings: 12
Copy Ingredients
Ingredients
Syrup
- 3 ⅓ cups water
- 3 ⅓ cups sugar
- 5 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 piece mace
- 3 green cardamom pods
- ¾ tsp. cardamom powder
- zest of one lime
- 3 tsp. rose water
Cashew Mix
- 3 ½ cups whole shelled cashews
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 ⅓ tsp. ground clove
- 1 ⅓ tsp. ground cardamom
- 1 ⅓ tsp. ground cinnamon
- juice of one lime
Baklava Dough
- 12 sheets of phyllo dough (store-bought is fine)
- 1 pound unsalted butter (4 sticks)
Directions
Copy Directions
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Make the baklava: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
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Lay a sheet of phyllo dough on a half sheet pan and brush it with butter. Add four more sheets, buttering each as you layer.
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Spread the cashew mix evenly across phyllo.
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Add three more buttered sheets of phyllo, buttering each as you layer, and add another layer of cashew mix.
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Add four more buttered sheets of phyllo.
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Cut the assembled baklava into 12 pieces.
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Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
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Remove and pour one cup of syrup on top after removing from the oven. Let cool, and enjoy!
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