For the Panna Cotta, run the pistachios in your blender and powder them as fine as you can without turning it into clumps or a paste. My pistachios were slightly u201cgrainyu201d, but I like them that way. A good way to grind them as fine as possible is to keep the pistachios in the freezer and then grind them straight from the freezer.

Warm the milk in a small sauce pan. Add the agar flakes and keep stirring until the agar dissolves completely. If you find any solid agar in the milk as it cools, strain out the agar using a fine sieve and then press as much of the agar as you can through the sieve using a spoon. You need to do this while the milk is still reasonably hot. Place the saucepan back on medium heat and whisk well, and you should have a smooth milk-agar mixture which will thicken as it cools.

Put the cream and sugar in a slightly larger sauce pan, and over medium heat, slowly bring to a low boil. Stir lightly, to dissolve the sugar. Take the pan off the heat and add the white chocolate and whisk until it dissolves completely. If the chocolate cream mixture starts cooling and the chocolate doesnu2019t dissolve properly, put the pan back on medium heat and stir till it warms up, but do not let it boil. Keep whisking till it is smooth.

Put the pan back on the stove, and on medium heat again. Add the milk thickened with agar to it, the cardamom and the powdered pistachios as well. Whisk everything together till blended and take it off the heat.

Keep stirring lightly, on and off till it reaches room temperature, to prevent a skin from forming on the top. Pour the Panna Cotta into lightly buttered ramekins or into glasses. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight. This recipe makes 6 servings.

For the Tangy Saffron Syrup, put the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until it has reduced to a slightly thick syrup. When you lift your spoon from the syrup the sugar should drip off leaving the beginnings of a u201cthreadu201d. Remember it will thicken further once it has cooled.

Add the saffron strands to the syrup and leave it all to infuse for 30 minutes or more. You can strain out the saffron threads if you like. I left mine in because I liked the texture and the way they look in the syrup. Pour into a small jug. If it becomes too thick on cooling add a tsp of water and warm the syrup, while mixing well. This recipe should be enough to serve with the Panna Cotta above.

For the Florentine Cookies, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and take it off the heat. Add all the remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips, and mix well. Drop about 1/2 tbsp (or 1 tbsp for larger Florentines) of the dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet* (See note).

Flatten the cookies with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on the flattened dough and press down lightly with a spoon. Bake at 190C (375F) for about 8 minutes or until the cookies start turning golden brown at the edges.

Let the cookies cool completely on the parchment and then slowly loosen them. Store them in airtight containers. This recipe makes about 20 small Florentines.

Note: My Florentine cookies were not lacy and as thin as they should have been. They were thin enough and crunchy. I understand that one way to make thin lacy looking Florentines is to drop the cookie dough on hot cookie sheets which makes the butter melt and the dough spread out.