First make the almond paste. Blend the melted butter with the ground almonds and almond essence. Add the sugar, egg yolk, and rose water if using, mix well and knead until soft and pliable. Chill for about 10 minutes.

Bread the almond paste into 10 even-sized balls and roll them into 4in ‘sausages’. Chill again.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place two sheets of filo pastry on the work surface so that they overlap to form a 7 x 22 inch rectangle. Brush the overlapping pastry to secure and then brush all over with the butter. Cover with another two sheets of filo and brush again with the butter.

Place five ‘sausages’ of almond paste along the lower edge of the filo sheet and roll the pastry tightly, tucking in the ends. Shape the roll into a loose coil. Repeat with the remaining filo and almond paste, so that you have two coils.

Brush a large baking sheet with butter and place the coils together to make a ‘snake’.

Beat the egg and half of the cinnamon. Brush over the pastry snake and then bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Carefully invert the snake onto another baking sheet and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes until golden.