Pistachio Baklava

"Long ago, lived a dessert genius. (Not to be confused with a desert genius.) We don’t know their name, or even exactly when or where they lived. But we can conclusively deduce that they were a dessert genius simply because they invented Baklava. Only an eminent scholar of sweets could come up with the idea of impossibly thin pastry, layered with nuts and soaked in sweet syrup. In homage to this unknown intellect with enormous confectionary capacity (and because we want our customers to enjoy this dessert over the holidays) we present Trader Joe’s Pistachio Baklava. There are many regional versions—Greek, Persian, Levantine—and here we’re featuring a classic Turkish Baklava. To that delicious end, we naturally commissioned Turkish experts in the art of brushing thin phyllo with clarified butter, layering it with pistachios, cutting it into twelve pieces, baking it to a golden-brown crispness, and finally soaking it in simple syrup. Of course, they froze the finished dessert so it could be safely delivered to our freezers—and eventually, to yours. Thankfully, it doesn’t take a great effort to enjoy this authentic treat! Just thaw it in your refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours, then let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. We can’t all be dessert geniuses when it comes to creating desserts, but we truly believe that everyone has the same capacity for eating them. To that delicious end, you’ll find Pistachio Baklava in our freezers for a limited time, through the end of the year."