Bluestem's Smoked Salmon Panna Cotta

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
• 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
• 5 ounces smoked salmon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons smoked salmon roe

Directions

1. Add the cream to a small saucepan. Scatter the powdered gelatin evenly over the top, then leave it alone for 5 minutes so the gelatin can soften.
2. Set the pan over medium-high heat and warm the cream until the gelatin melts. Stir in the salmon and sugar, then raise the heat to high. The moment the panna cotta mixture begins to simmer, take the pan off the heat. Stay close, because cream can climb the sides of the pan in a hurry.
3. Pour the hot mixture into a blender with care. Cover the lid firmly with a towel and keep one hand pressed on top, then blend until the mixture is completely liquefied. Pass the hot liquid through a fine-mesh sieve.
4. Divide the panna cotta base among small molds, about 1 inch in diameter, or pour it into a 13 by 9-inch pan. Place the molds on a flat refrigerator shelf and chill for 6 hours, or, even better, overnight.
5. To release the panna cottas, briefly warm the molds or the underside of the pan in a shallow pan of hot water. Turn individual molds out onto a large spoon or into a small serving dish. If the panna cotta was chilled in a sheet pan, dip a 1-inch ring mold in warm water and cut out cylinders.
6. Finish each panna cotta with a little roe and serve right away.