Samousades, sesame baklava rolls

Make the syrup first so it can cool completely: put the water, sugar, cinnamon stick and orange peel in a pan over high heat.

Squeeze the orange juice into the syrup and add two or three whole cloves.

Bring to a boil, take off the heat, add the honey and vanilla extract, mix and leave to cool completely.

Toast the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat four to five minutes until golden, watching so they do not burn.

Melt the unsalted butter.

Combine the finely chopped walnuts and almonds with the toasted sesame seeds, cinnamon, ground cloves and the optional orange zest and mix. Toasting the nuts in the oven about five minutes first intensifies their flavour.

Lay one sheet of filo on a board and drizzle it with plenty of butter, concentrating on the edges so it seals when rolled. Lay a second sheet on top and butter it the same way.

Spread half the filling over the top and roll it up, brushing or drizzling more butter from about a third of the way along.

Repeat with the remaining two sheets and the rest of the filling.

Wrap and refrigerate the leftover filo so it does not dry out; it keeps a few days.

Cut each roll into diagonals with a very sharp knife, starting at the top with a sawing motion, and transfer them into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Brush the tops generously with all the remaining butter and set a whole clove in the centre of each diagonal.

Bake at 350F on the centre rack 35 to 45 minutes, and longer if they are not yet golden all around; hers took almost an hour.

Pour the cooled syrup over as soon as they come out of the oven and leave 20 to 30 minutes for it to absorb; an hour or two is better.