Melting lardo

[weedy]

so...

I've many times stolen Michael White's brilliant idea of a Sea Urchin and Lardo Crostini

 

but no matter how thinly I have the lard sliced, I find it never melts evenly and perfectly over the top, the way his does.

It invariably curls at the edges and contracts as I melt it, no matter if I try it under the broiler or with a torch.

 

Anyone have any ideas or hints?

 

 

[ninagluck]

put it between two silpats 

[weedy]

Explain how you'd melt

lardo over an uni crostini "between two silpats"?

 

 

[Baron d'Apcher]

Try slicing the lardo very thinly so that it is transparent (flatten it between parchment paper with a rolling pin if need be) and leave it out a room temp for a bit until it is soft and flimsy.  It should melt better.

[weedy]

That's what I have been doing. 

but under the torch it immediately starts to curl and contract rather than melt smoothly. 

Edited August 19, 2017 by weedy (log)

[nickrey]

I'd suggest that if you were able to make multiple small holes across the whole surface of the lardo it wouldn't curl. In essence, it would be like using a micro version of a Jaccard tenderiser that cuts the fibers in meat to stop them from contracting and pushing out liquid.

 

There is a device that is used on skin (believe it or not) that would most likely work.

 

Type "derma micro needle roller" in google search. There are some very cheap ones on eBay.

[lesliec]

Or a dog brush (preferably unsullied by dog ...).

[teonzo]

Try in a microwave at low setting (around 200 W), using the rotating table and putting the crostini on the circumference of the table (if you put one at the center then it's heated unevenly due to the hot spots).

A torch gives strong and uneven heat, it's impossible to control the result on a thin slice of lardo.

 

 

 

Teo

 

[weedy]

I'll try the jaccarding approach. That's interesting. Thanks. 

 

A broiler or the searzall are relatively dispersed and consistent overhead heat sources but aren't much better in effect. 

I suspect Michael White uses a salamander (which I don't have) but I don't know. 

 

The prob with a microwave is that I don't want to cook the raw Uni underneath the Lardo, which would be inevitably cooking faster than the lardo is melting in that method. 

[ninagluck]

I ment to kind of "pre melt" it between 2 silpats and put it then onto the crostini

[dcarch]

Use a convection oven. Or an electric heat gun. The one that looks like a hair dryer.

 

dcarch

[weedy]

Again, an oven will cook the Uni. 

 

I could try a heat gun, but I don't think that's hotter than the Searzall

[pastrygirl]

How hot does it need to be to melt fat, though?  200F?  Maybe gentler heat is worth considering.

[dcarch]

1. I am not sure you can actually melt lardo. You can get it to go very soft (if it is thin enough), but not melt like butter.

 

2. A heat gun is very hot. I don't think for what you need, you want it to be torch hot.

 

dcarch

 

[teonzo]

You can put each lardo slice on a single small piece of parchment paper, microwave the lardo, then gently fold it over the uni.

Or you can use a hairdrier with a lot of patience.

Or you can tell your guests you invented a new technique to get "curly lardo".

 

 

 

Teo

 

[weedy]

the original, at Marea, is pretty melty... not runny like melted butter, but smooth and coated, like a grilled American cheese that's thin enough to see through.

 

I'm using paper thin slices, and the result is close... but not the smooth even coating he gets.

 

Mine come out more as if there is a "slice of melted lard on top", rather than completely covered, because of the curling.

 

 

 

these are the original:

 

 

[caroled]

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 2:47 PM, weedy said:

,the original, at Marea, is pretty melty... not runny like melted butter, but smooth and coated, like a grilled American cheese that's thin enough to see through.

 

I'm using paper thin slices, and the result is close... but not the smooth even coating he gets.

 

Mine come out more as if there is a "slice of melted lard on top", rather than completely covered, because of the curling.

 

 

 

these are the original:

 

 

Weedy,   I was just watching an old episode of "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern,  season 6 episode 15 "NYC; Will work for Food" ".  Andrew is going to locations around the city and doing brief stints in NYC kitchens, one of which is Marea. This part of the episode is approximately 12 minutes in (taking into account commercials),  They do the Sea Urchin and Lardo Costini. Onto the toast , the urchin is placed, the lardo is a fairly large piece, big enough the it is folded in 1/2 and then placed on top  and put into a broiler (salamander?) as he says,  " for no more than 15 seconds".    The lardo is of course melted, but still showing a bit of opaqueness, not quite as transparent as yours seems to be.  Sorry if this is no help, but maybe see if you can find this particular episode.

 

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 11:02 AM, weedy said:

I'll try the jaccarding approach. That's interesting. Thanks. 

 

A broiler or the searzall are relatively dispersed and consistent overhead heat sources but aren't much better in effect. 

I suspect Michael White uses a salamander (which I don't have) but I don't know. 

 

The prob with a microwave is that I don't want to cook the raw Uni underneath the Lardo, which would be inevitably cooking faster than the lardo is melting in that method. 

You are correct about the salamander.

 

Just looked, type in the title just as I listed into You Tube,  the episode is there.. I just can't make a link, sorry.

Edited August 24, 2017 by caroled
i found the episode (log)

[weedy]

thanks

 

I think the "secret" lies in having much wider sheets of thinly sliced lardo... which is tougher to come by.

 

but now I know what I'm searching for!

 

 

[Doofa]

Jealous I am. I can't even get Lardo.