Blanch then chop the almonds
Mix them with the sugar and cinnamon
Brush a medium size baking pan with melted butter
Lay 4 baklava phyllo leaves in the pan, buttering each beforehand
Lay more phyllo on top, this time without buttering them
Sprinkle with chopped almonds
Lay in another layer of phyllo, this time burshing with butter
Sprinkle with almonds
Continue laying in phyllo leaves and crushed almonds in the same way, until only five phyllo leaves remain
Brush these last phyllo leaves very well with butter and lay on the top
Cut away any phyllo ends overlapping the sides of the pan with a sharp knife
With the same knife, cut through the top phyllo leaves, scoring serving size squares in the baklava
Dip your fingers in a dish of water andsprinkle the top layer of phyllo leaves
Put the baklava in a moderate oven to bake for almost one hour
Meanwhile, boil the sugar in the water for five minutes
Add the honey and spices and boil for five minutes more
Remove the spices and keep the syrup hot
Take the baklava from the oven and let it cool
Pour the syrup over the baklava
After it cools, cut the baklava completely through and serve the pieces on a platter
NOTES : 1
For Walnut Baklava: 1
Replace almonds with walnuts
2
Syrup uses 3 1/2 cups sugar and 1 1/2 cups honey
2
The baklava can also be made with half walnuts and half almonds