• Preheat the oven to 350oF.

Custard

• In a medium sized pot, add the milk, lemon peel and vanilla extract. Heat the mixture over medium heat.
•  Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl add the egg yolks and sugar, and using a hand-held mixer, beat until the mixture gets fluffy and has a light color. 
• Add the corn starch and flour and beat for half more minute to incorporate them into the egg yolk mixture. The mixture will be thick and a bit difficult to work; this is ok.
• Once the milk mixture looks that it is about to boil, start pouring slowly (threadlike) into the egg mixture using a ladle, while you constantly beat the egg mixture (The egg mixture gets tempered and you do not end up with scrambled eggs…)
• Continue until you have added all of the milk into the eggs. Transfer the egg mixture back to the pot. 
• Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly (preferably using a whisk) until it becomes thick and creamy. At some point, bubbles will start form on the surface of the cream. Continue for another minute or two and remove from the heat.
• Pour the custard in a baking dish and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the surface of the custard so that it does not form a crust as it cools down. Let the custard cool until it reaches room temperature (alternatively, you can refrigerate for a couple of hours). 

Syrup

• In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, water, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel.
• Bring to boil over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let boil for 7-8 minutes. 
• Remove from heat, discard the lemon peel and the cinnamon, and set aside.

Base

• Unroll the kataifi pastry. Separate the shredded phyllo dough with your hands, making sure there are no knots and it fluffs up.
• Grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter and spread the kataifi pastry to form the base for the custard. Drizzle with the melted butter.
•  Bake for 30 – 40 minutes (depending on your oven), rotating the pan halfway through until it gets a nice golden color.
• Remove from the oven and pour the syrup on top of the pastry using a ladle.
• Set aside to allow the pastry to soak up the syrup and cool down and reach room temperature.

Whipped Cream

• In a mixing bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer), add the heavy cream and the vanilla extract.
• Beat the cream on high speed.
• Once soft picks start to for on the surface, reduce the speed to medium and add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time.
• Keep beating until a thick cream is formed.

Assembly

• Once the kataifi pastry and the custard have reached room temperature, add the custard on top of the kataifi. Using a spatula, spread the custard evenly over the kataifi.
• Put the whipped cream in a piping bag. Alternatively, you can use a food storage bag and cut a corner of the bag.
• Pipe the whipped cream on top of the custard, covering the surface to the pan. Using a spatula, spread it out evenly.
• Dust the ekmek kataifi with cinnamon, and sprinkle with the nuts (if using).
• Cover the ekmek kataifi with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.