RECIPE - Packlova

Another recipe in the Personal Record & Autobiography of Arick Kezerian (daughter of Nishan Krikor Sherinian).

"How to make Packlova, or that sweet, diamond-shaped cut holiday treat

2 cups chopped walnuts
1 tbsp of butter
1 1/2 cups flour, lightly browned with butter on slow heat; when done mix with walnuts

To make the dough, take 4 cups more of flour, sifted, with a tbsp of baking power, 1 level tsp of salt; put enough shortening in, as you would for a pie crust; mix 2 eggs and a little water with flour which has been mixed with shortening. Cut the dough in sizes like an egg. Rub the bottom of the pan of whatever container you will bake them in with a little butter. Then with a rolling pin (this rolling stick is about a yard long and 3/4 inch thick) roll the dough about the thickness of 3 sheets of paper; spread in the bottom of the pan. Now sprinkle some melted butter over it and spread it all over with a little brush or back of a spoon; then put another layer over it, only little thinner. Begin sprinkling the mixture of nuts and browned flour. Now make the next dough as thin as possible. Then put layer after layer with the nut mixture until 1 1/2 inches thick. Then for the middle make a little thicker and spread a little melted butter and another layer as thick; and begin with the thin layers, always sprinkled with the nut mixture, until its about 3 inches thick or less; then put over that a little thicker layer, and sprinkle with butter; then another layer (the last one) on top. Then cut into diamond shapes. Heat 2 tbsp of hot butter as hot as possible and sprinkle it over the whole thing. Then bake it in the over at 375 degrees, or until it is light brown for about 3/4 of an hour.

For the syrup it all depends on how small or large the pan is, but by guess:

3 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of water

Boil this and test it in a glass of cold water by putting a few drops in the glass, to see if it is curdling as it drops in the cold water; then pout it over the Packlova after the syrup has stood for a few minutes, off the stove. It should stay for a few minutes, or maybe five minutes, before you pout it on the Packlova. Then leave it for a few hours before beginning to eat. This is kind of hard to make, but it is a very delicious treat for holidays. Anyone who makes this must make it a few times to learn how it is done. The rolled must be very smooth; this can be done with sandpaper."