Kadayif

Instructions

1. Make the syrup first so it has time to go cold. Put 70 g caster sugar and 60 ml water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir once to dissolve, then bring to the boil and simmer without stirring for 8-10 minutes, until it thickens very slightly and coats a spoon. Add 1 tsp lemon juice, simmer 2 minutes more, then take off the heat and leave to cool completely, cold syrup on hot pastry is what keeps kadayıf crisp.
2. Heat the oven to 180C (fan 160C). Loosen 100 g kadayıf on a board, cut it into roughly 5 cm lengths with a sharp knife, then tease the strands apart with your fingers so there are no compacted clumps.
3. Melt 15 g butter and pour it over the loosened strands. Rub it through with your fingertips for a minute or two until every strand is glossy and faintly yellow, this is what browns the pastry evenly.
4. Press half the buttered kadayıf into the base of a lightly greased 12 cm round tin or small ovenproof dish, packing it down firmly with your palm. Mix 35 g chopped walnuts with 0.25 tsp ground cinnamon and scatter over the base, leaving a 1 cm border clear all round so the filling stays sealed in.