Gourmet Recipe for an Asian sweet near and dear to the West

You are more likely to find these staples in an American (USA) supermarket but it is also possible to find similar products in European stores. You should get a box of cereals, if possible wheat flakes with cinnamon and honey flavored almonds. The cinnamon flavor is key when it combines with the melted sugar. You would also need a bottle of maple syrup and

fortunately these are available in low calorie low sugar formulations, sold as Light Maple Syrup.

The best approach is to also pick up a small selection of genuine baclava from a local confectioner, if possible, so you can benchmark for your palate the approximate taste and texture with the new substitute sweet treats.

Just pour some of the cereal mix in a small bowl and douse the top with some light maple syrup.

Give it a taste, having already sampled an actual piece of baclava. You dont need to go heavy on the syrup even though the real baclava is actually drenched and soaking with caramelized sugar sauce with pistachio bits.

You will find that a little maple syrup drizzle combined with the cinnamon and honey in the cereal mix will yield an almost identical overall flavor minus the butter and greasy aftertaste.

And you will find this really simple combination so delightful and easy both on the palate, the digestive system - even though it doesn't have the heavy flavor of butter in crisp golden phillo layers that scrumptiously fail to melt in your mouth like a golden toasted croissant - they are typically allowed to marinate in the honey like sauce which makes the baclava somewhere between crunchy and chewy
to your mouth.

And that’s pretty much all there is to this bit of magic bringing a sweet treat from the Old World to your kitchen, you can adjust the amount of maple syrup to suit your taste.

A fresh box of cereals or dry cereals will keep the wheat flakes crispy (do not use oat-based flakes) ensuring the overall texture is close enough to the baked phillo bread.

The difference in total calories should be substantial allowing you to enjoy this treat more often than genuine baclava pieces.

If you are in good health and sufficiently fit to

indulge in culinary vice, I would recommend the actual baclava every now and then.

You can enjoy this variation on an exotic treat with a sip of cognac, rum, or brandy or even some cream liqueur either with your coffee or as a side dip for your mix.

The presentational varieties are numerous and can be tailored to suit the occasion and level of formality required by the event or your guests.

Enjoy and a toast to good health from our kitchen at West Coast Midnight Run.