Kadayifi

Method

1. Make the syrup first so it has time to chill: put 70 g of caster sugar, 70 ml of water and 1 tsp of honey in a small saucepan with the cinnamon stick, the clove and the strip of lemon peel. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then simmer without stirring for 8 minutes, until faintly syrupy and coating the back of a spoon. Stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice, take off the heat and leave to cool completely — at least 30 minutes. The syrup must be cold when it meets the hot pastry.
2. Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Chop 45 g of walnuts to coarse crumbs — not powder, you want texture — and toss them in a bowl with 0.25 tsp of ground cinnamon and 1 tsp of caster sugar.
3. Unroll 70 g of kataifi on a board and tease the strands apart with your fingers so they are loose and fluffy, keeping them lying in one direction. Divide into 2 equal bundles, each about 12 cm wide and 15 cm long. Brush the strands lightly all over with two-thirds of 15 g of melted butter, working it in with the tip of the brush.