Ingredients br br 1 lb. (500 g) plain white flour (up to a quarter of the flour may be replaced with fine semolina) br 2 tbsp. white sugar br ½ lb. (250 g) unsalted butter (Normandy butter is best) br 1-2 tbsp. rose water or orange flower water br 2 tbsp. water or milk br icing sugar br pinch of salt (optional) br baking powder (optional) br br Pistachio filling br br Mix ½ lb. (250 g) finely chopped pistachios with a somewhat smaller weight of sugar and 1 tbsp. rose water. (Some people use ground almonds, with or without green food colouring, instead of pistachios.) br br Walnut filling br br Mix ½ lb. (250 g) finely chopped walnuts with a somewhat smaller weight of sugar and 1 tbsp. cinnamon. br br Date filling br br Chop 1 lb. (500 g) stoneless dates, and bring to the boil with half a teacup of water, squashing the mixture against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon until approximately uniform in consistency. Blend with an electric chopper if desired. One variant is to add some butter to the mixture as it cooks. Allow to cool.