Greg Malouf

Presented in 1996

Syrian cigar nut pastries with orange–honey cream

Serves 8

Sugar syrup

200 g (7 oz) sugar

100 ml (3½ fl oz) water

1 cinnamon stick

2 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

Cigars

50 g (1¾ oz) crushed walnuts

50 g (1¾ oz) crushed almonds

50 g (1¾ oz) crushed pistachio nuts

100 g (3½ oz) soft brown sugar

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

16 sheets filo pastry

250 g (9 oz) unsalted butter, melted

Orange–honey cream

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) pouring (single) cream

finely grated zest of ½ orange

50 ml (1¾ fl oz) honey

To make the sugar syrup, place all the ingredients, apart from the orange blossom water, into a stainless steel saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Continue boiling for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool down. Before refrigerating, add the orange blossom water.

To make the cigars, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

In a stainless steel bowl, mix the crushed walnuts, almonds and pistachio nuts together with the brown sugar and orange blossom water.

Place one sheet of filo pastry on a dry surface, lightly brush with the melted butter and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the nut mixture evenly all over the sheet.

Place a long knitting needle, metal skewer or chopstick at the short end of the pastry and roll up the filo around the knitting needle as evenly as possible. Push the ends of the filo towards each other so that the pastry slides along the needle and scrunches up in an even manner. Pull out the needle and lay the cigar on a buttered baking tray. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo.

Bake for 20–25 minutes or until browned all over. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Brush with the sugar syrup while hot, then refrigerate.

To make the orange–honey cream, whip the cream with the honey and orange zest until firm.

To assemble, cut the cigars on an angle in half, trimming the ends also. Place 4 cigar pieces in the centre of a plate to form a box. Spoon the orange–honey cream into the centre of the box and drizzle some sugar syrup all over.