Salmon Mousse

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 1/4 sticks butter (6 ounces)
3 tablespoons flour
Salt to taste
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
Small pinch cayenne to taste
Approximately 1 pound cooked salmon (see accompanying recipe, but use half the amounts of the ingredients listed in it)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons Cognac
30 small round ripe tomatoes (see note)
1 small jar of red salmon roe

Nutritional Information
- Nutritional analysis per serving (14 servings)
  257 calories; 19 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 97 milligrams cholesterol; 373 milligrams sodium

Approximately 3 cups of mousse, sufficient for stuffing at least 30 small tomatoes

Scald milk and set aside. In a saucepan over low heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add flour to melted butter and cook, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is very thick. Add the scalded milk, all at once, and beat with a wire whisk over low heat for 5 minutes more, until the bechamel is thick and smooth. Add salt, pepper and cayenne, remove from heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
Skin and bone salmon meat and flake with a fork. Cut remaining butter into chunks. Add salmon and butter to bechamel and mix well, using an electric beater rather than a blender or processor.
Add cream and Cognac to salmon mixture and blend thoroughly. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or cayenne if necessary.
Refrigerate, covered, until the mixture has thickened sufficiently to allow piping through a pastry bag and tube – 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
While the mixture is cooling, remove tops from tomatoes and scoop out flesh. Stand tomatoes upside down on a rack to drain. When the salmon mixture is ready, pipe it into the hollowed-out tomatoes and top with a few grains of red salmon roe. Extra mousse can be served in a bowl topped with more roe.

Cherry tomatoes are a good choice for this dish, or small salad tomatoes, but ripeness is all – in terms of both presentation and taste. In larger tomatoes, the mousse makes a nice first course at a dinner party, garnished with sorrel sauce (see recipe).