-
1
With a sharp knife finely chop almonds and walnuts separately.
-
2
(Resist the temptation to use a food processor; chopping by hand is the key to the texture of baklava.)
-
3
In a bowl stir together nuts, sugar, and spices.
-
4
Put stack of phyllo sheets on a work surface and cover with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a damp kitchen towel.
-
5
Melt butter and keep warm.
-
6
(If butter cools, it will be too thick to brush.)
-
7
Preheat oven to 350F.
-
8
With a pastry brush brush a 17 1/2- x 12 1/2- x 1-inch baking pan with some butter.
-
9
Cover bottom of pan with a phyllo sheet, keeping remaining sheets covered with plastic wrap and towel, and lightly brush with butter.
-
10
Layer 7 more phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet with butter, in same manner.
-
11
Sprinkle nut mixture over buttered phyllo and with your fingers gently spread evenly.
-
12
On a work surface (not on top of nut layer) lightly butter and stack remaining 8 phyllo sheets, making sure top sheet is well-buttered.
-
13
Transfer phyllo stack to baking pan, putting it on nut layer and pressing to help it adhere to nuts.
-
14
With a fork prick top phyllo stack all over at 1/4-inch intervals going through to nut layer, to keep it from puffing unevenly.
-
15
With sharp knife halve baklava crosswise and bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
-
16
Halve lemon half.
-
17
In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan boil water, sugar, and lemon over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and liquid is reduced to about 1 1/3 cups, about 10 minutes.
-
18
Remove pan from heat and stir in honey.
-
19
Discard lemon and cool syrup to warm.
-
20
Pour warm syrup over hot baklava and cool in pan on a rack 15 to 30 minutes.
-
21
(Baklava will absorb syrup.)
-
22
Do not let baklava cool more than 30 minutes before assembling cake or phyllo layers will become too soft to transfer.
-
23
While baklava is cooling, soften ice cream.
-
24
(We softened ours in a microwave set on defrost, 30% power, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
-
25
Alternatively, you can leave it in the refrigerator not on the counter 30 minutes).
-
26
Using two 30-inch-long sheets of foil, line a 13- x 9- x 2-inch baking pan, arranging 1 sheet lengthwise and 1 sheet crosswise.
-
27
With a large metal spatula carefully slide 1 baklava half into pan and top with ice cream, spreading evenly.
-
28
Slide remaining baklava half over ice cream and wrap cake snugly in foil.
-
29
Freeze cake at least 6 hours and up to 1 week.
-
30
Just before serving, cut cake into pieces.
