Baklava with Cardamom and Citrus

I've eaten plenty of baklava in my life, but made none before this recipe. Let me tell you: it's not as hard as it seems! The phyllo dough does all the heavy lifting, and as long as you work quickly, you're golden.

The biggest obstacle in baklava is getting that phyllo dough separated and placed before it drys out. You'll definitely want to keep it covered (either with foil, or a clean, damp kitchen towel) as you're working, or else you'll have brittle sheets that don't make it to the pan. 

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups/175 grams plus 8 tablespoons/25 grams sugar, divided
1 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
12 ounces shelled pistachios, toasted (scant 3 cups)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
30 14x9-inch sheets fresh phyllo pastry or frozen, thawed (from one 16-ounce package)

Preparation

Simmer 1 3/4 cups sugar and orange juice in saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Boil over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Add cardamom. Cool syrup.

Place nuts and 2 tablespoons sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, process until most of nuts are finely ground (the largest pieces should be the size of small peas). Mix nuts, 6 tablespoons sugar, and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 9-inch round baking dish with some of melted butter.

Using your baking dish as a stencil, cut the phyllo dough in 9" rounds with a paring knife. Place 1 phyllo sheet on bottom of dish. Brush lightly with melted butter. Repeat 9 more times with phyllo and melted butter. Sprinkle half of pistachio mixture (about 1 1/2 cups) evenly over phyllo. Place 1 phyllo sheet over nuts; brush lightly with butter. Repeat 9 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter. Sprinkle remaining pistachio mixture evenly over. Place 1 phyllo sheet atop nuts; brush with butter. Repeat 9 more times with phyllo sheets and melted butter.

Using sharp knife, cut diagonally through top phyllo layer from top left corner to bottom right corner. Cut top layer of phyllo into 1-inch-wide rows parallel to both sides of first cut. Turn pan and cut rows about 2 1/4 inches wide, forming diamond pattern.

Bake baklava until golden brown and crisp, 50 to 55 minutes. Drizzle syrup evenly over hot baklava. Cool in pan on rack. Recut baklava along lines all the way through layers. Sprinkle with extra chopped nuts, if desired.

Do ahead: Baklava can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.