Directions

Place the rind on a dish into the microwave for about 30 second to 1 min and it will puff! Remove with a sharp knife any chewy part or burnt side. Let it cool and ground it into a processor.

To prepare the Prosecco DOC sabayon in a large stainless steel bowl, mix the egg yolks well the Prosecco DOC, the very fine grated Grana Padano and the saffron. Place the bowl on a bain-marie and cook gently while whisking to create a custard like sabayon. Never allow the water to reach boiling point or it will scramble the eggs.

Once thick and creamy remove from the heat and let it cool. Incorporate gently the whipped cream and add salt and pepper to taste. The result should be a silky and indulgent Chantilly-like texture.

Now to create the choux pastry, melt the butter into the milk and water combined, then add gradually the sieved flour while mixing carefully with a whisk. Add a pinch of salt and cook for a few minutes mixing with a wooden spatula to ensure the flour is well cooked. Now remove from the heat and while still warm incorporate the eggs one at the time while mixing gently.

Let the pastry cool and place it into a piping bag. Layer a baking tray with parchment and create your zeppole. They have to look like rings of pastry of 10cm in diameter. You can double pipe the mixture on the top of your ‘rings’ to make them higher and fluffier.

Bake at 170 degrees for about 18 minutes or until they are well golden and doubled in size. Let them cool. Now to add crispiness, brush the zeppole with the beaten egg whites and dust them well with a lot of grounded puffed rind. Bake again at 180 for 2 minutes and let it cool. 

Open the zeppole(s) lengthwise and filled them with abundant Prosecco DOC sabayon. Dust with grated Grana Padano cheese and crumble over the crispy baked pancetta slices. Enjoy them straight away (who could resist anyway!)

Recipe by Danilo Cortellini
 

Why don't you try it paired with a Trieste's Afternoon? Click here to discover how to prepare it!

Tips

These tasty cheese puffs actually scream to be topped with some crispy pancetta as the eggy sabayon will be its perfect pairing (like a carbonara, yes!). Rest assured, the recipe can be vegetarian by simply removing the pancetta crumb from the top.