Baklava and . . . ?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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OK, just made my first baklava from an old family recipe.
What to pair it with?

Finishing the night with 91 Grahams, Churchills, and Dows - serve before with a different wine or with the Ports?

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A wonderful cup of black coffee.
:slight_smile:

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Lots of nut and honey flavors. I don’t think port pairs well. I’ve got Samos Muscat Vin Doux for just such an emergency. Along similar lines, Pedro Ximinez, a sweeter Madeira, etc.

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I think a rich Barsac or Sauternes ought to work.

Or maybe even Baumard Quarts de Chaume – but I think a golden Barsac might be best.

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Some great ideas - thanks.
Yes, I was also thinking the Port might be too much with it.

I don’t have any Samos Muscat, but I do have some Pedro Ximenez and perhaps a bottle of Baumard Quart de Chaume handy

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I’d go with Mike’s black coffee pairing personally. If you must have a stickie with this, consider serving some blue cheese alongside to serve as a foil to all that sweetness.

PS How much trouble was making baklava?

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Mead

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Pinot Gris SGN from Alsace. (side comment-Sauternes?? Are U friggin kidden me??)

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Lipitor

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Royal Tokaji Aszu Assencia.

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Nah, my Greek brother. There might be .2 ounce of butter in a large piece of baklava. Maybe.

But now that I think of it, a 7-star Metaxa would be a nice accompaniment.

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Ha. Now that you declared you’re blood lines all is forgiven. You of course are correct. I was trying to be funny but couldn’t think of any diabetes meds. Of course I hate Baklava from Greece and much prefer the Arabic version using pistachios and simple syrup. Whenever I’ve had employees of middle eastern descent I always manage to beg for some after Ramadan ended. I do agree the Metaxa would go great though.

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It’s surprisingly easy to make, and it ended up as a sort of palate cleaner (not that this makes any sense) between Beef Bourgougne and a Jeroboam of Aurus 96 (modern style Rioja) and Port and stinky cheese

I may experiment with different styles next - mmm, pistachios

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Timely comments, gents. I’ve got some mixed “Damascus” style baklava from a bakery here in the Bay Area; flaky philo, crumbly nut filling, minimal honey and syrup so not too sweet or heavy. I was going to pop open a Samos Vin Dous but I just acquired 7-Star Metaxa for a recipe. Looking forward to checking it out on its own and as a pairing.

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I got my recipe from my aunt, Eleftheria Iatropoulos. Her two sisters, Helen (my mother) and Katarina never did catch on. Simple syrup, lemon, honey, cinnamon, walnuts, butter, filo. Divine.

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Two weeks ago Rieusssc 1990 went great with Baklava

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My mom’s is pure honey. Too rich for my blood.

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After Harry’s aside, it’s nice to get some support. I’ve done it too and it worked for me…

You really can’t pair with something that is significantly less sweet than the dish. And against all that honey you can make out the “bones” of the Sauvignon Blanc in the wine.

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Care to share which bakery? On the bloodlines, my grandma was 100% Lebanese. I miss her and her Baklava.
BTW I 3rd the Sauternes. [smileyvault-ban.gif]

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Diamond Bakery. I’ve seen their delights in various Middle Eastern/Persian grocery stores in Silicon Valley. They are somewhere in the East Bay and distribute all over the Bay Area.

BTW, I tried the metaxa pairing. I enjoyed it. Very interesting stuff. At 40% alc it was much more enjoyable out of a tequila glass vs. the Tritan Zin/Chianti/Water glass I started with. [snort.gif]