Missed the Greek cooking demo that took place at the 12h annual Heritage Festival? Here’s the recipe so you can try it yourself. Enjoy!
Heritage Festival 2009
Baklava Recipe
Chrysanthe Nagios and Helen Pervanas
INGREDIENTS
For the baklava:
• 1 lb. of chopped nuts (walnuts(¾ lb), pecans (½ lb)combination of them)
• 1 lb of phyllo dough (found in freezer section of supermarket)
• 1 1/2 cups of butter, melted
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
For the syrup:
• 4 cups of sugar
• 3 cups of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
METHOD
1. Lightly grease a 9×13 pan and set the oven to 375°F.
2. Thaw the phyllo dough according to manufacturer’s directions. When thawed, remove phyllo from plastic package and spread dough open. Cut the dough in half so the sheets will fit in the pan.(this may not be necessary because some brands are packaged as dough halves) Cover with a damp towel to keep it from drying out.
3. Grind nuts until in small, even sized pieces. Combine with sugar and cinnamon.
4. Melt the butter on the stove top or in the microwave.
5. Before beginning set aside 4 phyllo sheets that will be used for the top of the baklava. Butter the 9x 13 pan and add 5 sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each sheet of phyllo dough using a pastry brush with the melted butter.
6. Sprinkle a thin layer of the nut/sugar mixture. Butter next 3 sheets of phyllo and follow with nut/sugar mixture. Continue to repeat the nut mixture and three buttered sheets of phyllo until the nut mixture is all used up. The top layer should be 4 phyllo sheets thick, each sheet being individually buttered including the top layer and place in refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes. Remove from fridge and cut into diamond shapes using a sharp knife before baking. Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden brown, and edges appear slightly crispy.
7. While preparing baklava, make the syrup. Combine the cinnamon stick, sugar, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat and let simmer for 10 minutes and slightly thickened. Remove the cinnamon stick and allow to cool. Pour cool syrup immediately over hot baklava.
On Saturday, the sun shone, the crowds came out, the main stage rocked, the river was full of kayaks, the artisan tent was full of craftspeople at work…..And then, on Sunday, the clouds rolled in and the rain came. But still the main stage was full of good music and dance, the artisan tent was bustling, the Roaming Railroad ran, and even a few kayakers took to the water. The Seacoast’s favorite international block party–the 12th annual Heritage Festival–was a success! See you next year! Check back here for more info about dates and programming in the coming months.
Don’t let the rain stop you! We have big tents, great vendors, and plenty of fun going on both Saturday (in the sun) and Sunday (in the rain) at the Newmarket Heritage Festival. There will be loads of entertainment, as scheduled, in the Main Tent and the Workshop Tent. The Artisan and Children’s tent will be bustling with great activities all day long. The Waterfront Stage performers will be in the American Legion building with the Model Trains. The Waterfront Jugglers will be in the library. There will be music on the trolley that runs from the parking area (at the Newmarket Jur/Sr High School) to the festival. The Extreme Air brunch and the Community Church supper will both run as scheduled. Great food served up by great organizations. See you at the festival!
All aboard! Children and families will love the new Roaming Railroad, a ride-on train that will loop through the Heritage Festival grounds this year. The train runs rain or shine and the cost is just $3 per person. Another train, the Bristol S-gauge Club’s huge model railway (on display at the American Legion building on Main Street), will be back again, complete with bells and whistles and real smoke.
It’s not too late to enter the Best Dessert of the Seacoast Bake-Off! Prizes will be awarded in three categories: professional chef, home baker, and young baker. Call Lisa Dreher (603.292.5884) for information. And learn more here about the Sept. 27 all-you-can-eat dessert buffet (sponsored by Newmarket High School’s Project Graduation), as well as other great Heritage Festival meals: http://www.heritage-festival.org/index.php/program/food/
The distinctive rhythms and harmonies that have defined the celebrations of Jewish culture throughout Europe since the Middle Ages come to a21st-century New England mill town when the Raymond Street Klezmer Band makes its debut at the 12th annual Newmarket Heritage Festival. Don’t miss it! Learn more here: http://www.heritage-festival.org/index.php/program/performers/
Visit the Newmarket Heritage Festival to see R.P. Hale and his 18th-century printing press at work. This year he will produce the fifth in a series of prints of historic Newmarket buildings. Watch them roll of the press! Learn more about R.P. Hale and the other great festival artisans here: http://www.heritage-festival.org/index.php/program/artisans/
Join an African drumming circle, try your hand at the ancient art of the Chinese diabolo, learn some Bollywood dance moves, and join in on some barbershop harmonies. You can do it all at the Heritage Festival, the New Hampshire Seacoast’s favorite international block party, coming up September 25-27. See you there!
Get your hands on history! Kids (and adults, too) can try traditional tools at the Heritage Festival with Alan Mitchell from the Homestead Woodworking School in Newmarket and David Emerson from Old Ways Traditions in Canterbury. “I have yet to see a child who can’t pick up the tools we provide and use them successfully,” says Emerson, who brings bit braces and block planes, as well as a shaving horse for younger kids. Older kids can try augers, a boring machine, a treadle lathe, and molding and matching planes.
Gary Sredzienski, the Seacoast’s favorite accordion warrior, returns to the Newmarket Heritage Festival, Sept. 27. Learn more here: http://www.heritage-festival.org
