Mixed Nut Baklava

Suitable for vegetarians.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet filo pastry, 
• 300g almond flour, 
• 100g almonds (roasted unsalted), 
• 120g pistachios, 
• 100g pecans, 
• 80g caster sugar, 
• 350g butter, melted (100g for the nut mix and 250g reserved for brushing), 
• 1 tsp cinnamon, 
• 0.5 tsp salt, 
• 1 lemon, zest and juice, 
• 0.5 cup water, 
• 0.25 cup caster sugar, 
• 0.25 cup honey.

Method:

• First, make the nut mix. Grind up the almonds, pistachios, and pecans into a coarse, pebbly mixture. You can do this in batches in a blender or food processor or by chopping them with a knife. Reserve 20g of pistachio for later. Mix the ground nuts with the almond flour, 80g of sugar, 100g of melted butter, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Set the mixture aside.
• Remove filo from the packet and trim it down to fit the casserole dish or cake tin you are using (dimensions don't really matter, just use a vessel with high sides). Keep the filo covered with a slightly damp towel or cloth while you are working wth it so that it does not dry out. 
• Brush down your dish with a little melted butter and lay down two sheet of filo on the bottom. Brush these with some more butter and lay two more sheets on top. Sprinkle some nut mix over this (about 2/3 tbsp worth) and cover with two more sheets and brush down with butter.
• Repeat these layers of filo, butter, filo, nut mix, filo, butter until you have used up your nut mix.
• Cover with the damp towel you were using to keep the filo moist and place the dish in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. 
• Meanwhile, make the syrup. Place the water, sugar, and honey in a small saucepan and whisk together. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Once it is simmering and all the sugar and honey has dissolved, take it off the heat and mix in the lemon juice. Let cool.
• Preheat your oven to 190 C. Remove the dish from the fridge and using a sharp knife, cut the baklava into portions. You can cut it into decorative diamond shapes as shown above or simply into squares.
• Give the baklava one more brush down with melted butter and place it in the centre of the preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until it is golden brown and crispy on top.
• Remove from the oven and drizzle the syrup over top while the baklava is still very hot. Sprinkle over the reserved chopped pistachios.
• Let cool and serve.