Apple and pecan phyllo pie

Add the sugar, star anise, cinnamon stick and raisins to a pot with 2 cups of water and bring this to the boil. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes so that the raisins plump up and re hydrate.

Add the cut-up apples to the boiling sugar syrup and boil for about 5 minutes.Strain the fruit, remove the cinnamon and star anise, and allow this to cool slightly.

Pre – heat your oven to 180 C / 350 F

Spray a 22 – 26cm cake tin (or round ceramic or enamel pie dish) with cooking spray or butter.

Add the chopped pecan nuts and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the cooled mixture.Add the ground cinnamon powder if you are using it and mix to combine.

Melt the butter in the microwave and have the pastry brush ready.

Working with one sheet of phyllo at a time, place a 1/4 of the apple mixture on the bottom narrower edge of the pastry. Brush the rest of the sheet lightly with melted butter, trying to cover as much of the surface area as possible. Sprinkle over about 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar over the buttered sheet. Roll the pastry log up starting from the filling end, rolling over the sugared buttered phyllo. Tuck the edges in as you roll so that the filling doesn’t come out.

Place the rolls snuggly in the cake tin in a coiled serpent shape and brush each log with butter. It doesn’t matter if the middle roll breaks as you try to bend it, just patch it up with a few small pieces of phyllo.

Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and whilst hot, drizzle over 1/4 of a cup of maple syrup. Scatter over the extra chopped nuts and serve warm or at room temperature.

*If you want a crispier tart, use two sheets of phyllo per log