Baklava is popular in Greece and throughout the Middle East. Layered with nuts and drenched in sugar syrup or honey, it is the best known of all phyllo pastries. In Greece, it was originally an Easter specialty, made with forty layers of pastry representing the forty days of Lent. Chopped nuts are the traditional filling, but dried fruits, sesame seeds, or coconut may be substituted for a nontraditional version.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a 13 × 9-inch baking pan.

Finely chop or coarsely grind:

Stir together in a small bowl:

Melt:

Unfold and stack on a work surface:

Trim the phyllo into 13 × 9-inch sheets; save the scraps for another use, if desired. Keep the stack covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel. Place 2 phyllo sheets in the baking pan and brush the top sheet evenly with melted butter. Add 2 more sheets and brush with butter, then repeat once more, for a total of 6 sheets. Sprinkle with half of the nuts and then half of the sugar mixture. Cover the filling with 2 phyllo sheets, butter the top sheet, and repeat until there are 6 sheets on top of the filling. Cover with the remaining nuts and sugar mixture. Cover with all of the remaining phyllo sheets, adding them 2 at a time and buttering only the second sheet each time. Brush the top with the remaining butter. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut through all of the layers to make 2-inch diamonds or squares. This is important, because you will not be able to cut the baklava once it is baked without crushing the pastry; it also allows the syrup to soak in and around each piece.

Bake for 30 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Continue to bake until the baklava is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine in a small saucepan:

Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Strain the hot syrup and pour evenly over the baked baklava. Let cool completely on a rack at least 4 hours before serving.