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Pistachio Baklava Rolls

I grew up watching my great grandmother make phyllo from scratch. She would pull and stretch the dough over a cloth-covered table until it was thin enough to see through, and then use it to make strudel filled with apples, cherries or even cabbage. It was a true labor of love. I never liked the cabbage.

I still love phyllo, but I buy it frozen. Phyllo is the Greek word for leaf, and the dough has been used for centuries in Greece and the Middle East to make sweet and savory dishes from baklava to spinach pie.

These days, commercial phyllo is available in convenient 9-by-14-inch sheets, as well as the traditional 14-by-18-inch size. Many supermarkets also carry phyllo cups ready for fillings.

Phyllo dough is less brittle if it has not been frozen. You can usually find it in the refrigerator case at Middle Eastern stores.

Here are more tips:

Thaw frozen phyllo in its packaging in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature for two hours before using. If sheets are cold when you unfold them, they will crack or stick together.

Do not unwrap sheets until you're ready to handle them. Rewrap unused sheets; they can be refrigerated up to four days, but refreezing isn't recommended.

Before you open the phyllo, have all other ingredients ready. The sheets become dry and brittle when exposed to the air.

Remove as many sheets as your recipe calls for. Return the rest to the box.

To keep the sheets you're working with from drying out, cover them with waxed paper or plastic wrap topped with a damp cloth. Don't let the cloth touch the phyllo.

To add just the right amount of melted butter, put it in a spray bottle and spritz the sheets.

These Pistachio Baklava Rolls are adapted from a recipe by Estella Perez, the pastry chef at Ortanique on the Mile in Coral Gables, Fla.

Pistachio Baklava Rolls

4 servings

SYRUP

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2/3 cup honey

BAKLAVA

• 1/2 cup unsalted pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped (see note)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 (14-by-18-inch) sheets phyllo dough
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

To make syrup, combine sugar, juices, cinnamon stick and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in honey and return to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly coat it with nonstick spray. Mix nuts, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and 2 tablespoons of the sugar syrup in a bowl.

Place a sheet of phyllo on a work surface. Spray or brush with butter. Lay another sheet on top and butter it. Cut phyllo stack in half horizontally, so you have two 9-by-14-inch rectangles. Spread 1/4 cup filling across one of the narrow ends of each rectangle. Roll each into a tight cylinder, folding in edges as you go. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining phyllo and filling. Cut several slits in top of each roll.

Bake, basting several times with sugar syrup, until golden, about 20 minutes. Pour remaining syrup over rolls and let cool 15 minutes. Slice each roll in half diagonally.

Per serving: 831 calories (32 percent from fat), 31.2 g fat (15.7 g saturated), 60.7 mg cholesterol, 5.3 g protein, 141.6 g carbohydrates, 2.5 g fiber, 99.6 mg sodium.

Note: Unsalted pistachios are available at Middle Eastern groceries. You may substitute walnuts or almonds. Don't chop the nuts in a food processor; they will release too much oil and make the dessert heavy.

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