Aluminum Chef Award Winning Recipe
From the Kitchen of Ann Flanagan
Contest Ingredient: Apples

Ingredients:

1 pound thawed filo dough
1 cup melted butter
2 lemons, juiced and zested
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups diced Granny Smith apples
2 cups chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
2 cups chopped toasted pistachios
1½ cups sugar
½ cup honey
1 pint of water
1 lemon rind

Directions:

On a sheet/baking pan lined with parchment paper, lay one sheet of filo dough and brush with melted butter. Repeat with three more sheets. Cover remaining sheets with damp towel and set aside.

To make filling, place the lemon juice, zest, honey, cinnamon, apples, and chopped nuts in a pan and gently heat for three minutes. Set aside to cool.

Spread one-third of the mixture onto buttered filo stack. Top apple mixture with another stack of the buttered filo. Repeat process until apple mixture and filo are gone. (About three layers).

Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for one hour. Mix sugar, honey, water, and lemon rind and bring to a simmer. Remove lemon rind and pour over Baklava. Let soak overnight, cut into squares and serve.