Some years ago I did a lot of experimenting with panna cotta, even preparing a truffled version for my black-truffle cooking class. I subsequently forgot about this miraculous (and make-ahead!) dessert until a few years ago, when an incoming student put in an advance special request to make it during class. Ever since then, this dessert has been on my menus, and what a blissful reunion it has been! I toyed around with a series of savory versions (with cheese and herbs and other concoctions), but they never seemed to sing quite like the sweet versions.