adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

3 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
pinch of salt
5 cardamom pods
slightly rounded 1/8 teaspoon of crushed saffron threads
1 cup whole milk
2 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 cinnamon stick
finely chopped or grated pistachios for garnish

In a small saucepan, heat the cream, sugar and salt until steaming hot, stirring periodically to dissolve the sugar. Off the heat, add the cardamom pods and saffron. Cover and allow to steep for 25 minutes. While steeping, pour the milk into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Set aside, without stirring, for 5-10 minutes to let the gelatin soften.

Add the milk/gelatin to the cardamom mixture and reheat to steaming, stirring well to dissolve the gelatin. Strain the mixture into a bowl, preferably stainless steel, and discard the cardamom pods and saffron threads. Set the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice and water and stir frequently until the mixture thickens and registers 50F on an instant-read thermometer.

Divide the mixture among 6 6-ounce dessert dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours but preferably 12. Serve the individual panna cottas in their dishes, or unmold them by srapping each one briefly in a wrung-out hot, wet towel and unmold them onto dessert plates. Grate a little cinnamon stick over each panna cotta and sprinkle with chopped pistachios, if desired.

I made 1 1/2 times the recipe and it worked great! I used 8 teacups and had enough for a small bowl for the clever girl!

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