I just recently was the guest Chef for a charity dinner to help the Britt Festival at Schmidt Family Vineyards and the following is the appetizer I created for this event. Since I am a fan of Thomas Keller at the French Laundry, I was inspired by an appetizer of his using a savory tapioca. You eat the tapioca first as you dig into this dish (the "pearls") and the "swine" is the crispy pancetta pieces. Thus the silly name. This is a layered appetizer that can be prepared ahead and just reheated in a low oven until you are ready to serve. This does take a little time to make, but the elements can be made ahead of time and just reheated and assembled quickly. This pairs well with Pinot Gris or Viognier.

Parmesan Tapioca

1 Cup Whole Milk
½ cup Small pearl tapioca – soaked overnight
2 cloves Garlic - mashed
1 Shallot – minced very fine
1 small package 1.5 oz. demi-glace (I used lamb demi in this dish since the entrée was lamb)
6 oz. finely grated parmesan cheese (you may substitute Asiago)

To make the Tapicoa:   Heat the milk with the garlic, shallot and demi-glace.  Heat this until the demi-glace melts completely.  Add the tapioca that was soaked to the hot milk mixture.  Cook until tapioca is creamy and thick and no longer raw in the middle (approximately 7- 10 minutes).  Add the cheese and mix until melted.  Reserve.

Crispy pancetta

2 packages Pancetta – cut into small pieces and cooked until crispy – place on paper towels to drain excess fat