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There is something about carrots and honey for Rosh Hashanah that inspired me to combine them in a dessert. The result? Spiced Carrot Baklava — crispy layers of phyllo with chopped walnuts and tender, candied carrot shreds (spiced with cinnamon and cardamom), all bathed in a honey-lemon syrup.
Just as honey is associated with our wishes for a sweet New Year, so are sweet cooked carrots — and their golden-orange color is seen as a wish for prosperity in some cultures, notably in the Ashkenazi tradition.
In addition, “carrot” in Hebrew is gezer, which sounds like g’zar (decree), so eating carrots can express one’s desire for harsh decrees to be nullified. And in Yiddish, “carrots” are mehren, which resembles the Yiddish word for “increase,” symbolic of the wish that our blessings be plentiful in the coming year.
The nondairy (parve) baklava can be made days ahead (see recipe). Pre-shredded carrots and packaged phyllo dough sheets help reduce the workload of this wonderfully textured and flavorful Mizrahi-Sephardic influenced pastry. It’s perfect for a High Holiday dinner … or anytime.
If it is your tradition to opt for Rosh Hashanah foods that are bright, golden or sweet-looking — and strictly avoid the bad omen associated with dark-colored foods, such as black olives or eggplant — substitute 1 lb. blanched almonds for the walnuts.
Spiced Carrot Baklava
Makes 16 to 24 pieces
- Spiced Carrot Shreds (see below)
- Honey-Lemon Syrup (see below)
- 1 lb. walnut pieces or halves (see notes)
- 3 Tbs. sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ⅔ cup safflower, sunflower or other neutral oil, plus more as needed, divided
- 1 lb. package phyllo dough sheets, room temperature (see notes)
- 16-24 walnut halves for garnish
Have the spiced carrot shreds and honey-lemon syrup at room temperature.
Coarsely chop nuts in food processor, or with knife, until roughly ⅛-inch in size. Transfer to large bowl. Stir in sugar, cinnamon and salt.
Use pastry brush and 1 Tbs. oil to coat a 9-by-13-by-3-inch baking pan (see notes). Pour rest of oil into a small bowl. Add more oil as needed when brushing phyllo sheets.
Heat oven to 325 degrees.
Unwrap phyllo. Place flat on a clean work surface. Cover with a clean dish towel. Place a slightly damp dish towel over that to prevent drying out. Since brands vary, count how many phyllo sheets there are. Use 5 sheets for top and bottom layers. Divvy up remaining sheets for the 2 internal layers. (The following instructions are for 18 sheets per pound.)
Take out one sheet of phyllo at a time, leaving rest covered. Cut sheet to fit prepared pan. Lay sheet flat on oiled bottom. (If it rips during handling, just piece it together. The next sheet will cover it.) Brush lightly with oil, covering whole sheet. (Too much oil makes phyllo soggy.) Trim second sheet and lay on top of first. Brush with oil as above. Repeat until 5 sheets are stacked up. Oil top. Stir walnuts and spread half evenly on top. Top with phyllo sheet trimmed to size and oiled as above. Repeat until there are 4 layers of phyllo. Do not oil top sheet.
Remove and reserve 2 Tbs. carrot shreds for garnish. Using a slotted spoon or fork so excess syrup is left behind, spread remaining carrot shreds evenly over phyllo.
Top carrots with trimmed phyllo sheet oiled as above. Repeat until there are four layers of phyllo. Oil top sheet. Stir and spread remaining nuts evenly over phyllo. Top with remaining phyllo sheets, trimming and oiling each. Brush top sheet just a bit more heavily with oil, then use a sharp knife to cut the baklava into 16 or 24 pieces.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes until golden (rotate position in oven after 30 minutes for even color). Do not overbake. If after 60 minutes the baklava is not golden, increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until golden.
Remove from oven. Place pan on cooling rack. Immediately spoon room temperature syrup evenly over top of baklava, making sure some drips down through cuts. (Syrup needs to be cool and baklava needs to be hot, so do not delay!) Let it rest 4 to 6 hours so syrup is absorbed.
(Make up to 3 days ahead. Leave ungarnished in pan. Cover airtight with plastic wrap.)
To serve, cut and lift out each slice with spatula or pastry server. Top each portion with a walnut half and carrot shreds.
Notes: 1 lb. walnut halves equals 4½ cups, whereas 1 lb. walnut pieces equals 4 cups. Follow phyllo (sometimes spelled filo) package instructions for defrosting if frozen. If using nonstick pan, line bottom with parchment paper and then oil to prevent scratches and baklava from sticking.
Spiced Carrot Shreds
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 Tbs. finely minced orange zest
- 1 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
- ½ cup water plus as needed
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp. ground allspice or ground cloves (optional)
- 7½ cups (approx.) shredded carrots (see notes)
- 1-2 Tbs. orange blossom water (see notes)
Place sugar, zest, juice and ½ cup water in large, uncovered saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Lower heat to keep at a simmer and stir frequently until sugar is dissolved. Stir in salt, cinnamon, cardamon and allspice (if using). Stir and return to simmer.
Stir in carrot shreds. If necessary, add water just until carrots are covered. Adjust heat to return to simmer, stirring frequently. Keep uncovered. Lower heat to keep at simmer. Let cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is thick and syrupy and carrots very tender and soft.
Take pot off heat and let carrots cool to room temperature. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days in advance and returned to room temperature at this point.) Before assembling baklava, stir in 1 Tbs. orange blossom water. Taste. Add additional Tbs. of orange blossom water, if desired.
Notes: Commercially shredded carrots work well. Choose ones without preservatives or other ingredients. Orange blossom water is also called orange flower water. Find it in specialty, spice, kosher, Middle Eastern and international markets, or online. Intensity varies, so taste before adding extra. If unavailable, use ¼ tsp. orange extract.
Honey-Lemon Syrup
- 1½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup mild honey, such as clover or orange blossom
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3-inch cinnamon stick
Place sugar, water, honey and lemon juice in small saucepan. Heat uncovered over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved and mixture is just boiling. Add cinnamon stick. Keep at low boil without stirring for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Set aside to cool. (Can be made up to 3 days in advance and refrigerated.) Use at room temperature.