Sunday, January 27, 2019

Baklava by Tina Kashian

Lucy Burdette: We're so happy to have Tina Kashian back to guest cook for us, this time with my dessert fave, baklava! Read all the way through to enter the giveaway for a signed copy of Stabbed in the Baklava!

Tina Kashian: Thank you for inviting me as a guest in your kitchen! I love to cook all types of cuisine. I grew up in a family-owned restaurant in New Jersey. My Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series is set in a Mediterranean restaurant at the Jersey shore. 

In my upcoming February 26, 2019 release, One Feta in the Grave, Lucy Berberian is a recovering lawyer who returns to Ocean Crest, NJ and her family’s restaurant, Kebab Kitchen. To celebrate a successful summer season, the town plans a beach festival. But things soon take a turn for the worse when an arrogant businessman gets in a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend, Katie, over a sand castle contest. And when the same businessman is found shot dead under the boardwalk, things don’t look good for Katie. It’s up to Lucy to investigate before the wrong person gets skewered.
As for me, one of our favorite family desserts in baklava. Working with phyllo dough can be tricky. Each piece is as thin as a sheet of newspaper. But the recipe is simple and it is well worth the effort.
I hope you’ll stop by to learn more about my Kebab Kitchen Mystery Series at www.tinakashian.com

This Mediterranean dessert is a favorite and often served at holidays and weddings.
Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Cook Time: 40 minutes 
Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar
1cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups clarified butter
1 pound phyllo dough (9 x 14 inch sheets)

Combine walnuts, cinnamon, and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside. This is the walnut filling.


Melt butter and coat a 14x10 inch baking pan. Clarify butter by removing the foamy layer off the top.





Layer seven sheets of phyllo dough in the pan, buttering each sheet with a pastry brush. 



Spread half of the walnut filling evenly over top. Layer another seven sheets of phyllo dough in the pan, buttering each sheet. Spread the remaining walnut filling evenly over top. 



Cover with the remaining sheets of dough, buttering each sheet. Cut baklava in diamond shape pattern. 


Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for forty minutes. 


Simple sugar syrup: boil together 1 ¼ cups sugar and 1 cup water for ten minutes. Stir often until sugar dissolves in water. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Turn off flame and set syrup aside to cool. Pour cooled syrup on your baklava.



Enjoy your baklava!

Here’s a picture of baklava served as dessert at my cousin’s wedding.





Tina Kashian is an attorney and a former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. Tina spent her childhood summers at the Jersey shore building sandcastles, boogie boarding, and riding the boardwalk Ferris wheel. She also grew up in the restaurant business, as her Armenian parents owned a restaurant for thirty years. Tina still lives in New Jersey with her supportive husband and two daughters. Please visit her website at www.tinakashian.com to join her newsletter, receive delicious recipes, enter contests, and more!
You can also connect with Tina at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaKashianAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinaKashian1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinakashian/

GIVEAWAY! Please share! What’s your favorite dessert? To celebrate the upcoming February 26, 2019 release of ONE FETA IN THE GRAVE, I’m offering a signed, print (U.S. only) copy of STABBED IN THE BAKLAVA to one commenter. Thank you!

      


One Feta in the Grave (2/26/19 release)
A Kebab Kitchen Mystery

As summer comes to an end in her Jersey Shore town, Lucy Berberian continues to manage her family’s Mediterranean restaurant. The Kebab Kitchen also has a food tent at this year’s beach festival. But now a local businessman is under the boardwalk—dead by the sea . . .

With a sand castle contest and live music, Ocean Crest bids a bittersweet farewell to tourist season. Summer will return next year . . . but Archie Kincaid won’t. The full-of-himself store owner has been fatally shot, soon after a screaming match with Lucy’s best friend. Katie’s far from the only suspect, though, since Archie had some bitter rivals—as well as some relationships no one knew about. It’s up to Lucy to look into some seedy characters and solve the case before the wrong person gets skewered . . .

Recipes Included!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2UxFd8q
iBooks: https://apple.co/2B9EAsI
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2Bbbuta
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2C8zA9M
Google Books: https://bit.ly/2RTDl8r

75 comments:

  1. My favorite dessert would be cherry cheesecake but I wouldn't turn down a piece of yummy baklava.
    Bleakney750@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen. My daughter loves cheesecake, any kind, but she likes baklava, too.

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  2. That baklava looks delicious! My favorite dessert is egg custard pie. Thanks for the chance. JL_Minter (at) hotmail (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jaime. I haven’t had egg custard pie in a long time, but you made me hungry for it.

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  3. Congratulations on the new book! Not only do I love the titles, but the art work on the covers draws me to pick them up!
    My favourite dessert is carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
    Thank you for giving away a copy of your book.
    debprice60@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Deb. Thank you for the kinds words. I also love carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. One of my all time favorites!

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  4. You make baklava sound so easy to make!!! My favorite dessert is Norwegian Spice Cookies. I can't wait to read your new series!
    sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sharon. Baklava really isn't that hard to make, but it helps to have to people helping with the phyllo dough the first time. After that, it becomes much easier. I've never had Norwegian Spice Cookies, but they sound delicious!

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  5. The recipe looks amazing, but the book series looks even better!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Teresa. I promise baklava is not to hard to make and worth it.

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  6. I love baklava, my grandmother would put some out after dinner. Also love a really good slice of cheesecake. Book series looks great.
    a.connolley@gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Amy. How nice your grandmother would make baklava! Cheesecake sounds delicious, too. Thanks!

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  7. I’ve enjoyed the first books in this series. I’m glad to know there is a third.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sue! One Feta in the Grave comes out February 26.

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  8. French silk pie is my favorite desert! caradube (at) gmail (dot) com

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  9. Yum. French silk pie sounds delicious.

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  10. Congratulations on the new book...I can’t wait to read it! I love baklava, but my favorite dessert is cheesecake. cking78503(at)aol(dot)com

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  11. Thanks, Chris. It sounds like a lot of people love cheesecake, including my daughter.

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  12. Adding my congrats on the new release! Baklava is wonderful, thanks for sharing your recipe. It is hard for me to choose a favorite dessert. But if pressed, I suppose it would be a flourless chocolate cake served with a generous drizzle of raspberry sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oops, should add...
      little lamb lst at yahoo dot com

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    2. Hi Lil. Chocolate and raspberry go great together. Sounds wonderful

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  13. My favorite dessert is peach cobbler. But I also enjoy baklava. Thanks for the chance. Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had peache trees in our backyard growing up and my mom used to make peach cobbler. Fond memories

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  14. That looks so good. I love baklava. But my all time favorite has to be strawberry shortcake if the strawberries are just that special freshness.
    sallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is a fabulous light dessert and when the strawberries are in season it’s the best. Thank you

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  15. Congratulations! Your series is captivating. My favorite dessert is lemon cake. Lemon anything, bars, pie and tart. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. We use a lot of lemon in Mediterranean cooking. There is no substitute!

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  16. Your dessert looks delectable. Your book sounds special. My favorite dessert is apple cake. Moist, and delectable. I make it for special holidays. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. Congratulations on your upcoming release. I'm a big fan of your series and a fan of Baklava too. Myotber taught all three daughters to cook and bake just about everything you can name and we all love cooking and baking too. I couldn't even think of one favorite to choose due to having loads of special favorites,. But my top free ate Homemade from scratch Lemon Meringue Pie with really tart lemon curd, aost any fresh fruit pie and chocolate souffle!
    I can be contacted on FB. I won't leave email on any blog due to a previous problem from doing so.

    I'd be honored to receive your next book. Thank you so much.
    Cynthia Bayer Blain

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  18. Love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

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  19. Love chocolate cake with chocolate frosting
    jwhaley4@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Me too. I a bit of dark chocolate every day

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  20. Chocolate (dark) in almost any form.
    I lived in NYC (The Village) for several years and there was a wonderful shop nearby where we got halvah and baklava. Wonderful!
    libbydodd at comcast dot net

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    Replies
    1. NYC is diverse with culture and cuisine. My favorite restaurants are there. Thanks, Libby

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  21. Great review thank you, sounds very good, love the recipe too. I have to say Chocolate chip cookies when my daughter or I make them they don't last long. Thanks
    Penney
    luvhistoricalromance(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter’s baking chocolate chip cookies. They never last long in our house

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  22. Key Lime Pie, frozen, is my all time favorite, but Baklava is a very close second - thanks for the contest - trwilliams69 (at) msn (dot) com

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    Replies
    1. All these sweet desserts make me want to bake today! We had the best key lime pie in a small restaurant in Philadelphia. It was tart and creamy and delicious. I’ve never made this dessert, but would like to. Thank you, Taylor

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  23. Baklava has become our family's new favorite dessert thanks to you incredibly yummy recipe, Tina! No need to enter me in the contest since I've read your book... just wanted to say YUM!

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    Replies
    1. I was happy to hear this back then! Thanks for everything, Kim

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  24. Apple crisp it’s delicious, thank you for the chance I’d love to read this book! The recipe sounds yummy.

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  25. My grandma's blonde brownies are my favorite dessert.
    turtle6422 at gmail dot com

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  26. I’ve never made these, but like them too!

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  27. The baklava looks delicious! Favorite dessert? That’s hard. I’m partial to strawberry shortcake, key lime pie, and pound cake.
    patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. I forgot about pound cake. Anything with lots of butter makes for a rich dessert. I have a big sweet tooth!

      Delete
  28. My favorite dessert is chocolate mousse, but the baklava looks amazing. Looking forward to reading the book.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Dianne. Hope you like the book and the baklava

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  29. So difficult to answer. German chocolate cake or butterscotch pie would be contenders. Baklava is good too but haven't made it.
    browninggloria(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  30. I’ve never had butterscotch pie, but my husband loves anything with butterscotch. I’ll have to look into this for his February birthday. Thanks!

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  31. Love lemon bars.

    jtcgc at yahoo dot com

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  32. I have several desserts I like, so I can't name a favorite. Guess it depends on my mood and taste buds at the time as to what I want to eat. :)
    I like lemon bars and brownies, German chocolate cake, pumpkin, coconut cream, and pecan pies.

    donna (dot) durnell (at) sbcglobal (dot) net

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    Replies
    1. That’s a lot of favorites, Donna. But I’m like you and have a sweet toooth. I like lots of desserts and chocolate, of course.

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  33. Any dessert is good (!) but I'd say brownies are my favorite.

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    Replies
    1. We baked brownies with our girls not long ago. But we used a box mix. I’ve never made them from scratch.

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  34. Thank you everyone for a fun day! I’ll pick a winner tomorrow. Meanwhile, feel free to comment.

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  35. You are a new author to me! Hi! I love the titles of your books! My favorite dessert is chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkled nuts on top!!! lindaherold999(at)gmail.com

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda! I think I mentioned how much I love chocolate. You can’t go wrong with chocolate cake!

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  36. I’m gonna have to go with homemade banana pudding still warm .... yummy but oh so sweet can’t have it too often...

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  37. I love warm brownies with vanilla ice cream on top.
    Wendy
    clarksrfun at gmail dot com

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  38. Replies
    1. My youngest girl lives all types of pies and thinks Thanksgiving is one of her favorite seasons for that reason. Thanks, Kim!

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  39. Baklava is actually my favorite. I get it every time we go to a Greek diner or restaurant. I did make it once, and used about 15 times more butter than it called for. It was fun, and it's soooo good!

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  40. My favorite dessert is Chocolate Dr. Pepper Cake. I love baklava too, and once you gt the hang of the phyllo dough, it is an easy recipe. I have always topped mine with warmed honey, but I'm going to try your simple syrup topping next time :) bobandcelia@sbcglobal.net

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  41. One of my favorite desserts is Chess Pie. A very chocolatey dessert in a pie crust. I also love Baklava. I grew up in Middletown, NJ. Javabeagle@gmail.com

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  42. My favorite dessert is strawberry pie. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  43. My favorite dessert would have to be Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen's (Berkeley, CA) "Mon Cochon" pot de creme, a French-style chocolate pudding with bourbon-vanilla whipped cream,caramel and bacon. Decadent!

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