Tablea Tsokolate or Cacao Chocolate

What is tablea tsokolate and what makes this drink distinctive from other hot chocolate?
Tablea is a Spanish word-meaning tablet, and tsokolate is a Filipino word-meaning chocolate. It
is a thick hot chocolate specially made from cacao balls. The tablea can also be a thick disk or
flat, and even in square form. But the balls are the most popular form made, and is considered as
one of Batangas delicacies.

It is believed that the Spanish persuaded the growing of cacao trees and the developing of the
beans into cacao tablets during the mid 17th century. During the Spanish era hot chocolate made
from tablea is served during breakfast on special occasions. Consequently cacao chocolate
drinking has long been a tradition in Batangas and other provinces in the Philippines.
The province of Batangas produces one of the best cacaos in the Philippines, due to its suitable
tropic weather. The tree is normally grown in the shades of other trees, usually the taller coconut
trees. It can grow as tall as 40 feet, and has fruits that are more than a foot long. The fruits color
is brownish yellow to purple, and contains plenty of cacao seed. This seeds are the cacao beans,
which turn out to be tablea tsokolate or cacao chocolate.

Making the chocolate starts by removing the fresh cacao beans from their pods, and peeling the
skin. Then it is dried under the heat of the sun. The cacao beans are roasted (like coffee) for at
least 3 hours and grinded manually. While grinding the beans the mixture becomes oily because
of the cocoa butter would ooze out from the beans. The blend is mixed with sugar, and then
forming it into balls.
In Batangas hot chocolate is made by boiling tablea with water and milk with sugar. The
chocolate is stirred and thickened with a wooden beater, called a batidor. (Picture below) The
batidor is rubbed vigorously between the palms of the hand to foam the chocolate. The use of
more tableas per cup of milk would produce a syrupy chocolate drink.

Here is a recipe of my beloved late aunt (Tita Celing) which she drinks every day during
breakfast that you can try.
Hot Tablea Tsokolate
1pc. Chocolate tablea
cup low fat milk
cup water
Brown sugar to taste
Place the tablea in a saucepan and pour the milk and water. Place over medium heat and allow it
to boil. Cook gently until the tablea has melted. Stir the chocolate and add sugar to taste.
The hot chocolate is also great along with a bowl of pinipig (young glutinous rice). Another use
of the tablea here in Batangas is thru the food known as champorado. (Breakfast porridge of hot
chocolate poured over white rice.) And a popular native snack suman, (native rice cake wrapped
in banana leaves) and hot chocolate is an extra combination for this warm drink.

tablea chocolate cupcake, version 1.

I bought a pack of pure tablea de cacao (oops, forgot to take a photo of it)
yesterday not really knowing what to do with them.
When I got to work, I began searching the web for some easy recipes. The only
problem was that there were no recipes with tablea de cacao. So I tried using the
keyword cocoa tablet, to no avail. I tried a few other keywords, this time, Mexican
hot chocolate and cocoa nibs. I got a few more interesting results. My only problem
was that I'm not sure if these two terms are the same as the Philippine tablea de
cacao.
I wrote down one recipe, but when I got home, I decided to tweak another recipe
I've saved last week.

It resulted to a delicious dark chocolate cupcake with an almost molten center. It

was damn good, yes, but it was missing some oomph.
Because some of the cupcakes sagged in the middle, I decided to fill it with some
cinnamon penuche frosting.

So this is the start of my dark chocolate cupcake chronicles. I going nuts just
thinking about stuff I want to make using tablea de cacao. I think it's better than the
branded baking chocolates, but they're almost at par in terms of the cost. Hehe.
Well, this is just me saying. :)
I still don't know what to call these little babies. I initially wanted to call it "Triple
Chocolate Cupcakes" then I turned to "Tablea Chocolate Cupcakes" then lastly,
"Dark Chocolate Cupcakes."
Thinking about it now, I think the second option is the most appropriate. What do
you think?
Tablea Chocolate Cupcakes, version 1
a scant 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
a scant 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
3 pcs tablea de cacao
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 stick butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Bring water and sugar to a boil over low heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add in tablea de cacao, cocoa
powder and butter. Stir until chocolate has melted and mixture has melted slightly.
Stir in vanilla.
Beat the egg into chocolate mixture using an electric mixer (you can also use a
wooden spatula and beat vigorously). Mix in dry ingredients, beat just until
combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
Divide batter between muffin tins (about 1/4 cup per cupcake). Bake at 350F for
about 20-25 mins.
Cool in pan for about 15-30 minutes before transferring to wire rack.

** Notes:

The chocolate chips were not part of the recipe. I just decided to add them on
a whim. I think that's the reason why some of the cupcakes had a slightly
molten center. I'm omitting this next time.

Maybe adding 1/4 cup of milk would also balance out the flavors.

I'm also thinking about using Dutch-process cocoa powder next time.

This is probably best frosted with rich chocolate frosting or whipped chocolate
ganache.

Ingredients
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar
Cup Hershey's Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (Optional) This will make the cake rise
just a little bit more than using the Baking Soda only. 2 Eggs (I use large eggs) 1 Teaspoon Salt 1
Cup Buttermilk
Note that you can freeze buttermilk so you have it to make another buttermilk chocolate cake
recipe later.
Can't find buttermilk?
Here's how to make a substitute...
Add 1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar or Lemon Juice to a measuring cup. Add milk and fill to 1
cup (240 ml). Let it stand for 5 minutes.
1 Cup Mazola Vegetable Oil 1 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract 1 Cup Boiling Water
You can use 1 Cup of strong coffee instead of the boiling water. Doing so intensifies the
chocolate flavor. If you're making it for children you might want to stick with the boiling water.
Preparation
1. Preheat Oven to 300 F
(This is not a typo! This is a slow bake chocolate cake recipe.)
2. Use Crisco Shortening to lightly grease and flour the
9 x 13 in. Baking Dish.
(Note: You can this recipe for cupcakes and as a layer cake. I included the baking times
for each option below.)
3. Place all the ingredients on the left except the cup of boiling water into a mixing bowl.
4. Mix at medium or medium high speed. After about 1 minute add the 1 cup of boiling
water. Then continue to mix until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
5. Pour into greased and floured baking dish
6. Bake for...

o 9" x 13" Baking Dish Bake for

1 hr.
(or)
o Cupcakes: 22 - 23 min.
Be sure to use cupcake liners.
(or)
o (2) 8 in. Round Cake Pans - 45 min.
7. Test by sticking in the middle with a knife. If it comes out clean... it's done! If not put it
back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes and then test again.
8. Allow to cool.
Recommended White Vanilla Icing
Obviously you can use whatever icing you like. But I have found that the simplest icing works
best on this cake.
Ingredients

Preparation

2 Cups 10-X Powdered Confectioners Sugar

Pound Stick of Butter (Softened by letting
it get to room temperature)

1. Place the powdered sugar, softened butter, salt and

vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Add a little milk.

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/8 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Milk

2. Mix at high speed until smooth and creamy while

gradually adding the 2 tablespoons of milk as
required to get the right consistency so it's easy to
spread.

===========================================================

Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

by Maria on June 30, 2011

Ultra Moist Chocolate Cake

Author: Maria Jose
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 25 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 15
Ingredients

Milk 1 cups

Butter 100 gms (1/3 cup + 2 tbsp approx)

Oil cup (I used sunflower oil)

Coco Powder cup ( I used Hersheys)

Self Raising Flour 1 cup (Refer notes for substitute)

Egg 1 beaten, room temp

Baking Soda tsp (refer notes)

Sugar 1 cup + 2 tbsp (250 gms)

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven @ 180 C/350-375 F, 10 mins before baking. Heat together milk, butter,
oil & coco powder till the butter melts. Let it cool to room temperature (btw, dont get
disappointed if you dont get the dark brown colour at this stage, you will get it once the
cake is baked). Add flour, baking soda, sugar & beaten egg to the cooled wet ingredients.
Beat it well using an electric beater or hand whisk till it is mixed well. You can either use
it to make cupcakes or cake. I made a 9 inch loaf & 10 standard size cupcakes with the
above qty. Bake in the preheated oven for 15- 20 mins for the cupcake & 25- 30 mins for
the loaf cake. The baking time can vary depending on each oven.
2. For cupcakes: Line your cupcake tin with paper liners (I use 2 liners per cupcake) & pour
3 tbsp of batter in each case. Im referring to the standard size muffins here.
3. For cake: Grease your cake tin well & line with parchment/baking paper. Pour the batter.
4. For Ganache:
5. Whipping cream cup
6. Baking chocolate cup (I usually use Hersheys Milk Chocolate Chips. You can also
use Hersheys semi sweet chocolate chips for this)
7. Place the baking chocolate/ chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat the whipping cream on low
flame till small bubbles start appearing around the edges. Pour the heated cream to the
bowl with choc chips. Let it rest for 5 mins. Whisk it using a manual whisk. This will
give you a liquid consistency ganache. If you want to thicken the ganache for spreading,
place the bowl on some ice & whip it. It will start thickening. Spread the ganache on
cooled cupcakes/cake. Enjoy!
Notes
This is an extremely moist cake, so I wont suggest it for making it as a layer cake. You can store
the cake (without ganache/icing) @ room temp for 3-4 days in an air tight container. The original
recipe calls for baking powder. But Ive read somewhere that for chocolate cake, baking soda is
good. The explanation for that is Baking soda will react with coco powder and gives a darker
colour to the cake. I used castor sugar for the recipe for easy blending of ingredients. However
you can use the regular sugar. You can serve this cake as a dessert along with a scoop of your fav
ice cream :) Substitution for self raising flour to get 1 cup self-raising flour, add 1 tsp baking
powder+ tsp salt to 1 cup all purpose flour. (source:
http://www.joyofbaking.com/IngredientSubstitution.html)

My Best-Seller Siomai Recipe

For the INGREDIENTS:

500 grams regular ground pork (must have considerable amount of fat)
500 grams lean ground pork
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated singkamas (I don't know what's it called in English; Wiki said it's called Mexican
turnip)
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup minced red onions
1/2 teaspoon seasoning (sometimes I use Maggi Magic Sarap)
1 teaspoon paprika powder for color
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 large egg
Siomai wrappers
chopped green spring onions for garnishing

For the SAUCE:

1 cup light soy sauce
Juice of 15 pcs medium-sized calamansi
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoon fried chopped garlic
PROCEDURE:
1. In a big glass or plastic bowl, mix all ingredients except the siomai wrapper and
the spring onions. Mix with hand until fully combined.
2. Place 1 tablespoon or 15 grams of the siomai mixture in the center of the siomai
wrapper.
3. Hold the siomai in your hand and gather the wrappers around the mixture.
Pleat/fold the wrapper around the mixture until you form a basket shape. Pinch
the wrapper slightly as you fold it. Press down the mixture using your thumb.
Sprinkle a few chopped spring onions on top of the filling for garnishing.
4. To steam, put some water in the lower compartment of your pan. Brush your
steamer with oil. Allow the water to boil then adjust fire to let water to just simmer.
Place your siomai on your steamer and steam for about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow
some space between siomais to prevent them from sticking to each other.
5. Remove the cooked siomai from steamer and serve with the sauce.

Siomai mixture on wrappers before wrapping. See wrapped siomai in the background.
Other optional ingredients that you can use as extenders are Chinese cabbage,
cucumber pickles to make the taste a bit interesting, mushrooms and other vegetables
of choice. For this one, I added some rabbit's ear mushroom for texture.
To prepare the sauce, just mix all ingredients together. Add more calamansi juice if more
tartness is desired.
Siomai is best served when hot. This recipe is for home-cooking, so it is best consumed
immediately. Commercial preparation of siomai requires use of curing salts and some
preservatives to make the product stay longer in frozen storage. I'd post the commercial
version of the recipe soon.
For the SAUCE:
1 cup light soy sauce
Juice of 15 pcs medium-sized calamansi
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

2 tablespoon fried chopped garlic

PROCEDURE:
1. In a big glass or plastic bowl, mix all ingredients except the siomai wrapper and the
spring onions. Mix with hand until fully combined.
2. Place 1 tablespoon or 15 grams of the siomai mixture in the center of the siomai wrapper.
3. Hold the siomai in your hand and gather the wrappers around the mixture. Pleat/fold the
wrapper around the mixture until you form a basket shape. Pinch the wrapper slightly as
you fold it. Press down the mixture using your thumb. Sprinkle a few chopped spring
onions on top of the filling for garnishing.
4. To steam, put some water in the lower compartment of your pan. Brush your steamer
with oil. Allow the water to boil then adjust fire to let water to just simmer. Place your
siomai on your steamer and steam for about 30 to 35 minutes. Allow some space between
siomais to prevent them from sticking to each other.
5. Remove the cooked siomai from steamer and serve with the sauce.

Siomai mixture on wrappers before wrapping. See wrapped siomai in the background.
Other optional ingredients that you can use as extenders are Chinese cabbage, cucumber pickles
to make the taste a bit interesting, mushrooms and other vegetables of choice. For this one, I
added some rabbit's ear mushroom for texture.

To prepare the sauce, just mix all ingredients together. Add more calamansi juice if more tartness
is desired.
Siomai is best served when hot. This recipe is for home-cooking, so it is best consumed
immediately. Commercial preparation of siomai requires use of curing salts and some
preservatives to make the product stay longer in frozen storage. I'd post the commercial version
of the recipe soon.

your own discretion; dont blame me.):

How To Make The Best Tasting Siomai Ever: PMs Pork Dumpling Recipe

1/2 kilo ground pork

1 small onion, chopped finely

3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely

1 small carrot, grated

1/2 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped finely

1 regular pack of meaty seasoning mix (I use Maggi Magic Sarap) or 1 regular
pork bullion cube, mashed

a pinch of salt and pepper (maybe 1/2 tsp. each I dont know, I just eyeball it!)

a pinch of powdered chili or cayenne pepper (you can substitute regular finely chopped
chili or hot sauce, adjust to taste)

1 egg

1 pack of molo wrapper, plus water to seal the siomai

1. In a bowl, combine all siomai ingredients using a spoon or your hand to season the ground
meat. Massage the meat well to make sure everything goes together and all flavors integrate
well. Leave it for at least half an hour.
2. Get a piece of molo wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run along all sides of the molo
wrapper. Add about a teaspoon of the flavored meat and place it at the center. Gather all the
corners and pinch it together on top. It should be round with flares on top.
3. Take all the wrapped siomai and place it on a steamer. Depending on how many you got on the
steamer, it takes anywhere from 30-40 minutes to cook.
4. For the sauce: simply combine soy sauce, vinegar, and calamansi (or lime) in a bowl. Add a bit
of sugar to taste. Season with pepper and chili or hot sauce.

-==================================================

Carroty Custard
This simple recipe creates a texture similar to a creamy puree. It is extremely delicate in flavour,
so try 'jazzing' it up for older babies with the addition of herbs (thyme goes well!)
3 oz (1/3 cup) cooked, pureed carrots
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) milk (use whole milk, breast milk or formula)
1 egg yolk
Place the pureed carrot in a small saucepan and beat in the egg yolk and milk.
Heat the mixture over a medium heat, stirring constantly.
When the mixture has thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool to a safe serving
temperature.

Vigan Longganisa - Pork Sausage

Ingredients

2 lbs lean pork meat, finely chopped

1 lb pork fat, diced

1/4 tsp salitre (saltpeter)

1 heads garlic, crushed

1/3 tsp ground bay leaf or 1 leaf finely chopped

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1-1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

sausage casing or 3 tbsp cornstarch if using skinless method

How to make it

Combine all ingredients except casing and let stand for 1 hour.

Fill casing w/ mixture.

Twist and tie ends of casing with kitchen cord to form a link of sausage
(usually at every 4 inches interval).

Put mixture in a container with lid and cure in the refrigerator for 2-5 days.
Best kept in chiller. Another curing method is to hang sausages above brick
oven for 3-5 days.

To cook, put desired amount of sausages in a skillet.

Add 1/2 to 1 cup of water to come up to about 1/2 inch of skillet.

Let simmer over medium heat until water evaporates, about 10 minutes.
Prick sausages with fork.

Stir-fry in its own fat for 3-5 minutes or until sausage is caramelized or skin
turns reddish brown. Add a little oil if necessary.

Serve hot with garlic rice, sunny side up or scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes
with spicy vinegar on the side.

* For skinless method, add cornstarch to mixture, roll desired amount of

mixture into balls using your hands, then roll mixture to form short sausages.
Arrange side by side each other in a container with lid or wrap individually in
wax paper. Keep covered and refrigerate for 3-5 days to cure before frying.

Best LonganisaHow To Make Filipino Skinless

Native Sausage
Anns Skinless Longanisa
Ingredients:
800 grams ground lean pork
200 grams cubed pork fat
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. anisado wine
4 tbsps. Datu Puti cane vinegar
4 tbsps. soy sauce

1 tbsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. Vetsin (optional)
2 tbsps. cornstarch
1 medium size red onion (chopped finely)
2 head garlic (crushed and chopped finely)
Procedure:
In a bowl, mix all ingredients except the pork meat. Then add the pork and mix thoroughly. Chill
the pork mixture for three hours in the fridge. Then, start packing using wax paper ( 5 inches
in length, 4 inches in width). Scope a tablespoon of pork mixture and put it on top the wax
paper. Roll just like when you are making lumpiang shianghai and fold the tips. Put in the
freezer before cooking. Cook the longanisa in half a cup of water and two tablespoons cooking
oil.
Serve with garlic rice or plain steamed rice. Enjoy! You may also grill the sausage if you dont
want to fry. It will retain its shape even if it is skinless. I have tried it. You can also make burger
patties out of this recipe. You can serve the burger patty on a bun with coleslaw and cheddar
cheese. Yum!

Homemade Whip Cream Recipes

Whipped cream is a must-have topping for pies, holiday desserts, hot chocolate, and fresh fruits.
Learn the basic steps here.
Whipped Cream Recipe
Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

Procedure
Take a chilled glass bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla extract in, and whisk both the liquids
properly. You can also use an electric mixer if you like. Keep the electric mixer on low speed and

once you find that the consistency is getting thicker, lift the beater and check for a "lazy curve"
shape formed on it. With a normal whisk, mix the liquids till you find the same kind of shape.
Now it's time to sift the confectioners' sugar in. Keep beating the cream till everything turns into
a soft paste. Refrain yourself from over-beating the cream or else it will become curdled. Chill in
the refrigerator in a covered bowl before using it.
A Few Variations

Make rum or bourbon mixture by combining 1 tablespoon rum/bourbon and regular

whipped cream to it.

Try adding teaspoon fresh mint extract and 1 tablespoon mint paste with your whipped
cream. You can use mint flavored whip cream with holiday desserts.

Ever tried making chai flavored whip cream? Add teaspoon chai extract to your basic
recipe and use it with pumpkin and apple pies. Garnish the pies with some cinnamon
sprinkles.

With Gelatin
Ingredients

1 teaspoon gelatin

3 tablespoons boiling water

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons cold water

cup ice water

cup nonfat dry milk

Procedure
Take a bowl, add the gelatin along with cold water in the bowl. Incorporate the 3 tablespoons
boiling water to soften the gelatin. Keep stirring the gelatin till it dissolves properly. Set the bowl
aside and let the mixture cool. Now in a chilled glass bowl, pour nonfat dry milk and ice water
in. Take a whisk and beat both the ingredients till you get a thick consistency. Keep beating and
add sugar, then oil, and softened gelatin. Keep the bowl in freezer for at least 20 minutes before
you transfer it in the refrigerator.

Homemade Whip Cream Frosting

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

cup butter

cup shortening

1 cup milk

1 cup white sugar

Procedure
Take a pan, add flour with milk and heat the mixture till everything is incorporated into a thick
paste. Whisk in the sugar, butter, and shortening in a different bowl to get a smooth paste. Turn
the heat off and set the pan aside to let it cool. Once the mixture is cool, add it to the sugar paste.
Beat everything together till you get the perfect whip consistency. Prepare it couple of hours
before you actually have to use it.
Whip Cream Frosting Variations

To make a chocolate cream frosting, add 1 tablespoon cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon
white sugar together with the flour frosting mix mentioned above.

For more fruity flavors, you can integrate cup of sweetened raspberry/strawberry puree
to the basic frosting recipe.

Basically you can add any kind of flavoring to the original recipe and make whipped cream
dessert. Other flavors that incorporate well with whip cream besides the ones mentioned in the
article are vanilla, lemon, and hazelnut. Make sure you don't over beat the cream as I had
suggested earlier, because that mistake will turn your cream into butter. Don't think too much and
just try to have fun with the entire cooking experience. Enjoy!
do you mean this one?
Pastry Cream
INGREDIENTS
2 cups milk
1/2 cup white sugar

1
6
4
4
1

vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

egg yolks
tablespoons all-purpose flour
tablespoons unsalted butter
pinch salt

DIRECTIONS
Place the milk, half the sugar and the vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium heat.
Combine the egg yolks and the remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light in
color. Add in the flour and the salt, mix to combine.
When the milk just begins to boil, remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. Very
slowly dribble the hot milk into the yolk mixture, stirring all the time. When about
half of the milk has been added, place all of the yolk mixture into the saucepan over
medium heat. Using a spatula or a whisk, mix the pastry cream as it heats, making
sure to reach all of the corners of the pan when you stir. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Let boil for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick.
Remove from heat and add the butter. Strain if you wish for a smoother cream.
Place into a bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap to stop a skin from forming on
the cream. Chill and use within a few days.

Frascatelli Carbonara
FAST
STAFF FAVORITE
TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
SERVES: 4
At Union Square Cafe, executive chef Michael Romano tops homemade frascatelli, a
dense spaetzle-like pasta, with a combination of pancetta, cheese and cream. A rich
dish like this requires a wine with tangy acidity; Christopher Russell, the restaurant's
general manager, suggests a Tuscan Sangiovese from Chianti Classico. Russell's
choice is the balanced 2001 Castello di Cacchiano Riserva; another great pick is the
ripe, juicy 2003 Badia a Coltibuono.
ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces pancetta, sliced 1/4 inch thick and cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
1 large egg yolk
Cold water
2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 pound semolina flour (2 1/2 cups)

directions
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat
until crisp, about 7 minutes. Drain the pancetta in a strainer over a bowl; reserve 2
tablespoons of the fat.
Add the cream to the skillet and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Grind black
pepper into the cream, then add in the Parmesan and the 1/2 cup of pecorino,
stirring until the cheese has blended into the cream, about 2 minutes. Scrape the
mixture into a bowl and let cool. Whisk in the egg yolk, pancetta and the reserved
pancetta fat and refrigerate.
Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil; add the salt. Spread the semolina on a large,
rimmed baking sheet. Put 1 cup of cold water in a bowl. Dip your fingertips in the
water and scatter drops all over the surface of the semolina. Keep scattering until
the entire surface is covered with drops. With a rubber spatula, turn the moistened
semolina over on itself, tossing to form small lumps. Shake the pan to spread the
loose semolina in an even layer. Repeat with more water until just about all of the
semolina has been formed into irregular lumps about the size of small peas. Shake
the frascatelli in a colander to remove any loose semolina.
Pour the frascatelli into the boiling water and cook, stirring a few times, until al
dente, about 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, gently reheat the sauce over moderately low
heat, stirring constantly. Drain the frascatelli, add it to the sauce and bring to a
simmer, stirring. Transfer the frascatelli to shallow bowls and serve, passing grated
pecorino at the table. ~*-*~

CREAM PUFFS
Cream Puffs I:
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup salted butter
1 cup pastry flour*, sifted
3 eggs
Cream Puffs II:
1 cup boiling water
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
Cream puffs are a very light and delicate and hollow pastry of French origin. Although they are a
simple bakery staple to prepare, a certain procedure needs to be followed for success.
Sift the flour so that there are no lumps.
In a saucepan, bring water and butter to the boiling point. Add the flour, all at one time, and stir
briskly using a heavy wooden spoon, stirring constantly and in a circle until the mixture begins
to leave the sides of the pan and form a ball. The mixture will become smooth, leaving the sides
of the pan clean.

Stir over low heat to dry the mixture for 2 or 3 minutes. The mixture will lose its stickiness. Add
the unbeaten eggs, one at a time, beating each egg in thoroughly before adding the next egg. The
mixture should be smooth and shiny. (Note: This may be transferred to a bowl, cooled for 3 or 4
minutes, then beaten using a hand mixer.)
Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet (or use a large pastry
bag with a plain nozzle to pipe the mixture).
Bake in a preheated 400F oven for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slowly. (You can leave them
in the hot oven with the door open for a few minutes).
When cool, use a very sharp knife to slice off the tops and fill with pudding, vanilla pastry
cream, ice cream, flavored whipped cream, etc. Top with fruit sauce or drizzle with honey,
melted chocolate or chocolate curls.
These same recipes can be used to make eclairs; the only difference is in the shape that is piped
onto the baking sheet.
*Pastry flour is a flour made from softer (or lower protein) wheat than all-purpose flour and is
useful in making products in which gluten development is not desirable, such as cookies and
pastries. Gluten is the protein in flour that gives breads their "chewy" quality.
If pastry flour is not available, you can make a reasonable substitute by combining 1/2 cup cake
flour with 1/2 cup bread flour or 1/4 cup cake flour with 3/4 cup all-purpose flour for use in this
recipe.