Combine water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and honey in a saucepan. Mix well and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon stick, and allow the syrup to cool.

Preheat your oven to 175°C (347°F).

Place the kataifi pastry in a deep baking dish and gently separate and fluff the strands with your hands, ensuring no clumps remain. Work quickly to prevent the dough from drying out.

Sprinkle the crushed walnuts and pistachios evenly over the pastry.

Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the pastry, ensuring all the strands are coated as best as possible.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven.

Immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot kataifi base. It will sizzle, which is normal. It needs 10 minutes to fully absorb, but you can start working on the custard now.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with half the sugar until creamy, then set aside.

In a saucepan, whisk the milk, cornflour, plain flour, the remaining sugar, and vanilla essence over medium heat. Warm gently, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

Temper the eggs by adding a ladle of the warm milk mixture to the beaten eggs while whisking continuously.

Gradually pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook for around 5 minutes, until the custard thickens to a smooth, glossy consistency.

Remove from heat and pour the custard evenly over the kataifi base. Cover the surface with cling wrap, pressing it directly onto the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.

In a mixing bowl, beat thickened cream, vanilla bean paste, and icing sugar until soft peaks form.

Spread the whipped cream evenly over the set custard layer.

Sprinkle ground cinnamon and crushed pistachios over the whipped cream.

Slice into portions and serve chilled.