Baklava…

I am sorry, but this is not a post about a recipe for “baklava” … I do have a recipe for baklava with store-bought-phyllo dough, but I have to post that when I am in the US… Over here in Turkey, there is no need to make your own… Almost every neighborhood has a store that specializes only in “desserts”… These pictures are the very reason why we Middle Easterners look down on the baklava in the US and other western countries… Although I usually prefer almost every food home-made…The home-made baklava unfortunately can never beat the professional-made in this case. Please look at the pictures closely, I cannot even count the layers.. all these layers are hand rolled, buttered and baked to perfection… hopefully, I will have a chance to take photos in a “baklava store” and post the process here….

Until then enjoy the photos… These are from Gulluoglu Karakoy to me it’s the best baklava in Istanbul. (again, just like there are a gazillion versions of pizza out there, there are a gazillion versions of baklava, and everyone’s preference is different). For my US readers, just a while ago, Gulluoglu opened a location in NYC. We ordered from there before for gatherings in Memphis. Although not as good as their location in Istanbul it’s pretty respectable. Don’t get me wrong, the quality of the products is the same, it’s just not “perfect” and  just cannot be, since I am sure they cannot find the same ingredient choices and vendors over there. If you decide to order, try the “burma kadayif” as well… that product is almost identical to the ones in Turkey…