Baklava with Honey and Cinnamon Apricots

Combine nuts, sugar and spices. Melt butter in a small saucepan.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Unroll phyllo sheets on a work surface. Trim them to fit approximately a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the phyllo and weight this down with a damp towel — this will keep the phyllo moist while you work with it.

With a pastry brush, coat the inside of the baking pan with butter. Lay 1 phyllo sheet in the pan, tucking the ends under, and brush with melted butter. Top this with another sheet of phyllo and brush with butter. Repeat until you have 5 sheets. Sprinkle this sheet evenly with half of the nut mixture. Top with another set of 5 butter-brushed sheets and then the rest of the nut mixture. Place 5 more butter-brushed sheets on top to form the top crust. Brush the top with butter.

With a sharp knife, score the pastry into diamonds, cutting all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is a deep golden brown.

While the baklava is baking prepare the Honey and Cinnamon Apricots. When pastry is removed from the oven, pour apricot syrup over the pan and allow to cool. Serve the diamonds topped with crème fraîche or vanilla bean ice cream.