Chef's Recipes

Peanut butter “baklava”

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for peanut butter “baklava” by Shane Delia from Melbourne's Maha restaurant.

By Shane Delia
  • 1 hr preparation
  • 40 mins cooking plus cooling, freezing, cocoa nib roasting
  • Serves 8
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Peanut butter “baklava”
"This dessert is fun and a bit cheeky but pays homage to that Middle-Eastern classic sweet, sticky, nutty baklava." Shane Delia, Maha

Ingredients

  • 250 gm smooth peanut butter
  • 375 ml (1½ cups) thickened cream
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 250 gm caster sugar
  • 35 gm liquid glucose
  • To serve: bitter dark chocolate ice-cream
Baklava crumbs
  • 30 gm butter, coarsely chopped
  • 120 gm cocoa nibs, roasted (see note)
  • 80 gm each pistachios, walnuts and almonds
  • 90 gm caster sugar
Salted caramel
  • 250 ml cream
  • 190 ml milk
  • 140 ml liquid glucose
  • 185 gm sugar
  • 150 gm butter
  • 7 gm salt

Method

Main
  • 1
    Whisk peanut butter and 75ml cream in a bowl to combine. Whisk remaining cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form (2-3 minutes). Fold into peanut butter mixture and refrigerate. Whisk yolks in an electric mixer until pale and fluffy (3-5 minutes). Stir sugar, glucose and 50ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to the boil and cook until mixture reaches 115C on a sugar thermometer (3-4 minutes). Whisking yolks continuously on low speed, gradually add sugar syrup in a thin steady stream until combined. Increase speed to high and whisk until cool (8-10 minutes). Fold in peanut mixture, pour into a 20cm x 30cm tray lined with baking paper, smooth top and freeze until firm (4-5 hours).
  • 2
    For baklava crumbs, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add cocoa nibs and nuts and stir occasionally until coated and warmed through (1-2 minutes). Scatter sugar over, stir until sugar melts and nuts are glazed (1-2 minutes), spread on a tray lined with baking paper and cool, then coarsely crumble. Shake nuts in a fine sieve to remove dust (discard). Place on a tray.
  • 3
    Cut rounds of parfait with an 8cm-diameter pastry cutter dipped in hot water, place on a tray lined with baking paper and freeze until firm. Roll edges of parfait rounds in baklava crumbs (reserve some to serve) and freeze.
  • 4
    For salted caramel, bring cream to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate saucepan over medium heat, whisk continuously until mixture reaches 135C on a sugar thermometer (10-15 minutes), remove from heat, whisk in cream and set aside to cool to room temperature.
  • 5
    Spread a little salted caramel on chilled serving plates, top with parfait, then top with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream. Scatter with extra baklava crumbs and serve.

Notes

Cocoa nibs are available from health-food shops. To roast nibs, preheat oven to 180C, place nibs on a tray and roast, shaking tray occasionally, for 5-6 minutes.
This recipe is from the February 2012 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: 2010 Yering Station Cold Pressed Pinot Gris.

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