Grandma Ema’s Baklava
My great-grandmother, Emilija Jinek (neé Lončarević, 1914-1998) was the best cook in our family. Her grandchildren all called her “Grandma Ema.” The eldest child of an upper-class, Roman Catholic family in Modriča in today’s northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Grandma Ema could make almost anything from the Balkans and beyond. My mother, Stela, particularly remembers her homemade noodles, cakes and a huge assortment of pickles and preserves.
Baklava is considered the most important dessert in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Known as the “queen of cakes”, it is made by Muslims for Eid and Christians for Christmas. It is also considered a must for birthdays and other celebrations. Bosnian baklava should always be juicy and moist “like biting into a honeycomb.” The filling is also split among at least several layers, rather than in a single layer between sheets of filo.
This recipe for baklava is Grandma Ema’s. The combination of lemon zest and raisins with walnuts was her idea. Despite being born into great wealth, Grandma Ema’s life was marked by tragedy. The last tragedy saw her forced from her home in 1992 during the Bosnian War. She never went home and died as a broken refugee. Because her home was looted, I have hardly anything that was hers. But this and some of her other recipes survived, and her legacy lives on through them.
Grandma Ema’s Baklava
My great-grandmother, Emilija Jinek (neé Lončarević, 1914-1998) was the best cook in our family. Her grandchildren all called her “Grandma Ema.” The eldest child of an upper-class, Roman Catholic family in Modriča in today’s northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Grandma Ema could make almost anything from the Balkans and beyond. My mother, Stela, particularly remembers her homemade noodles, cakes and a huge assortment of pickles and preserves.
Baklava is considered the most important dessert in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Known as the “queen of cakes”, it is made by Muslims for Eid and Christians for Christmas. It is also considered a must for birthdays and other celebrations. Bosnian baklava should always be juicy and moist “like biting into a honeycomb.” The filling is also split among at least several layers, rather than in a single layer between sheets of filo.
This recipe for baklava is Grandma Ema’s. The combination of lemon zest and raisins with walnuts was her idea. Despite being born into great wealth, Grandma Ema’s life was marked by tragedy. The last tragedy saw her forced from her home in 1992 during the Bosnian War. She never went home and died as a broken refugee. Because her home was looted, I have hardly anything that was hers. But this and some of her other recipes survived, and her legacy lives on through them.
Cooking Instructions
- 1
First, make the lemon syrup so it can cook by the time the baklava is ready. Set aside a couple of handfuls of the sugar for the filling, then put the sugar together with the water and sliced lemon into a saucepan. Boil on a medium heat, uncovered, for around 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Do not stir the sugar; let it dissolve by itself with the heat.
- 2
Mix together the couple of handfuls of sugar, walnuts, tirit/baklava crumble, raisins and lemon zest in a bowl. This is your filling.
- 3
Oil a baking tray. Place a sheet of filo to cover the bottom, lightly sprinkle with oil and lay another one on top (the oil will make them stick together). Sprinkle with oil and lay another on top; there should be 2-3 sheets on top of each other.
- 4
Sprinkle with filling, then put another filo sheet on top. Sprinkle lightly with oil and put one more sheet on top. Then sprinkle filling, then two more filo sheets, then more filling. Keep going until all filling is used up, but leave 3-4 sheets for the top layer.
- 5
Cut the baklava into diamond shapes once the final sheet of filo pastry is on. This is easiest to do with a ruler.
- 6
Melt the butter in a pan. Scrape off all white froth (buttercream) that rises which will otherwise burn and turn bitter in the oven. You may use this butter cream on toast.
- 7
Turn the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (or 140 fan). Pour the melted butter evenly all over the baklava, then place it in the oven. Bake for around 20-30 minutes, or until it has a nice golden brown colour.
- 8
Turn the oven down to 140 degrees and bake for 15-30 minutes more, or until very dry.
- 9
Remove from oven and pour over around 2/3 of the lemon syrup. Covering with foil will help prevent the top layers of filo from rising. Later, pour over a bit more syrup once the baklava has absorbed the initial amount (you won’t need to use it all; the excess can be served at the table if someone would like more).
- 10
Leave baklava for at least half a day or overnight to cool completely before serving. The flavour will continue to improve every day for the next 3-4 days. Refrigerated, baklava will keep for at the very least 10 days (usually much longer).
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