Kadayif

Method

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.