This baklava is the stuff dreams are made of. Sweet and just a little bit sour, with layers of phylo oozing with lime-curd puss and covered with bloody slashes, it’s the perfect treat for any Nightmare on Elm Street fan, or even a Freddy with a sweet tooth. We know it's totally irresistible, but, please try not to end up like Greta Gibson.
The recipe comes from the blog Tissupapers where the creator explains, “I came up with this recipe that was inspired by my childhood arch enemy Freddy Krueger. He was the terror in my dreams when I was younger, chasing after me with those razor sharp claws. I took a spin on the basic recipe for baklava. It reminded me of skin with its many layers of phyllo dough. Once baked it has the crispy look of baked skin!!”
Here’s what you will need:
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 good amount of mixed chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey red and black gel food coloring
lime curd - for puss (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C)
Proceed as follows:
1. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon in a bowl then set aside.
2. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn off heat then set aside and let cool.
3. Melt 2 sticks of butter. Once melted completely, butter the bottoms and sides of a 8x8 inch pan.
4. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack to fit the size of the pan. I just set the pan on top of the dough and cut around it to get the shape. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work - per the manufactured directions. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered in the bottom of the pan - this will be the base for the baklava.
5. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. I had about 4 layers before I got to the last layer.
6. My last layer I used Craisins Dried Cranberries to give a tart flavor.
7. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. Using a sharp knife cut into the skin either in a diamond or square shape all the way to the bottom of the pan. I cut the baklava into 5 long rows then turned the pan and cut again for a rectangle shape.
8. Using the same sharp knife - in each section make deep cuts or slashes on the tops of the baklava.
9. Your oven should be ready now to put your skin in. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp. Watch it about every 15 mins so you do not burn the dish.
10. Just put some lime curd in a plastic bag with the end cut off very small - my cheap version of a pastry deco bag. This can be the puss if you desire.
11. With a plastic knife and the gel food coloring, add some blood along the cut lines. I used black in the very center of the cut for a more dramatic look.
And the final touches, straight from the source:
"Lastly, I made the basic blood recipe out of karo syrup and red food coloring for the blood splatter on the plate. I placed the plate on the ground and stood on a chair letting gravity take over. With a spoon I just let the blood fall on the plate and splatter - super easy."
