Balancing flavours
In the kitchen, we sometimes use ingredients that can be a little overwhelming in taste.
Grilled lardons, for example, are very good, they give a great taste to a lot of recipes where they are added, but you have to be objective, they're still pretty fatty!
Grilled lardons, for example, are very good, they give a great taste to a lot of recipes where they are added, but you have to be objective, they're still pretty fatty!
9,102 5/5 (17 reviews)
Keywords for this post:FlavorsTastesBalanceNuanceLast modified on: November 7th 2020
Balancing flavours
And as a result, this fatty, suave side can sometimes be a little too much, when you add these lardons to something a little busy, tone on tone, for example a tartiflette.
The point here is not to try and lighten things up (after all, "fat is life"), but rather to try and accompany this flavor.
You might think that discarding the cooking fat and keeping only the "dry" lardons, and/or blanching them before cooking, would reduce the taste? Yes, a little, but not that much, in fact. They'll certainly be lower in calories, but their strong taste will still be there.
By proceeding in this way, you'll give the grilled lardons a hint of acidity that will balance, or counterbalance, the fatty, suave, original flavour.
This delicate nuance is the perfect accompaniment to your recipe.
So, you've seen the general rule: when there's a risk of a little too much fat, compensate with a little acidity.
Another example in the same spirit: enjoy rillettes (rather fatty) with a good glass of Bourgogne aligoté (rather acidic), each revealing the other, it's a delight...
Note that it also works the other way round, which is why creams or lemon preparations, for example, are often generously creamed or buttered to soften the acidity a little.
In short: with things that are quite fatty in taste, think about adding a little acidity, and in the other direction, a little cream or butter to a preparation that's too acidic.
The point here is not to try and lighten things up (after all, "fat is life"), but rather to try and accompany this flavor.
You might think that discarding the cooking fat and keeping only the "dry" lardons, and/or blanching them before cooking, would reduce the taste? Yes, a little, but not that much, in fact. They'll certainly be lower in calories, but their strong taste will still be there.
So what can you do?
I suggest giving your lardons a sort of tonic accent:- Grill them as you usually do (say, a small frying pan over high heat, with the lardons alone in it).
- Once they're toasted to your liking, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of vinegar all at once. Be careful, it will boil and release very pungent fumes (start your hood first if you haven't already).
- Continue cooking for about 15/20 seconds, until most of the vinegar has evaporated.
- Remove from heat, and use in your recipe (allow to cool if necessary).
By proceeding in this way, you'll give the grilled lardons a hint of acidity that will balance, or counterbalance, the fatty, suave, original flavour.
This delicate nuance is the perfect accompaniment to your recipe.
So, you've seen the general rule: when there's a risk of a little too much fat, compensate with a little acidity.
Another example in the same spirit: enjoy rillettes (rather fatty) with a good glass of Bourgogne aligoté (rather acidic), each revealing the other, it's a delight...
Note that it also works the other way round, which is why creams or lemon preparations, for example, are often generously creamed or buttered to soften the acidity a little.
In short: with things that are quite fatty in taste, think about adding a little acidity, and in the other direction, a little cream or butter to a preparation that's too acidic.
Lasts posts
XO Cognac Explained: Meaning, Aging, and Flavor Profile
XO Cognac always goes beyond the labels on the bottle: it is often associated with tradition and quality. You get to appreciate the artistry, character and ageing process when you understand what defines this smooth Cognac. The section below tackles everything about XO Cognac, from complex flavour...January 28th 2026119 Sponsored article
Butter vs. grease
We often read in a recipe where a pastry is put into a mould that, just before pouring, the mould should be buttered or greased. But what's the difference between these 2 terms?December 1st 20252,2945
Getting out of the fridge early
Very often when you're cooking, you need to take food or preparations out of the fridge, to use them in the recipe in progress. There's nothing tricky about this: you just take them out of the fridge and use them, usually immediately, in the recipe. But is this really a good method?November 24th 20251,5125
Who's making the croissants?
When you look at a bakery from the outside, you naturally think that in the bakery, the bakers make the bread, and in the laboratory, the pastry chefs make the cakes. It's very often like that, with each of these professions having quite different ways of working, but sometimes there's also one...November 23th 20251,370
Oven height
When we put a dish or cake in the oven, we naturally tend to put it on the middle shelf, and that's what we usually do. But in some cases, this position and height can be a little tricky, so let's find out why.October 8th 20254,2975
Other pages you may also like
How to sprinkle well?
When in a recipe you need to sprinkle something, that is to say to spread a fine layer of powder (flour, sugar, etc.) on something, powdered sugar on a pie for example, you will probably use a fine strainer or a sieve, this is the best way to proceed. But is that all?May 23th 202311 K4.7
Butter doesn't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it.
Whenever I'm discussing cooking and recipes, there is one idea which comes up frequently, like this: "Oh no! But that's got butter in it" (I should add, for the sake of accuracy, that this is something I hear more frequently from women, who are almost all concerned with keeping their figure). ...March 26th 201245 K4.5
Raising (or leavening) agents
When we want to make a dough or batter rise when baking, either in patisserie or bread-making, we need to use a raising agent or leavening agent, one of which is called leaven. In the context of baking, a raising agent is simply what "makes something rise". It is a substance which, when added to...June 16th 202157 K4.8
The march forward
When professionals get to work in their kitchen, lab or bakery, they are (if they are conscientious) very sensitive to hygiene and cleanliness. It is impossible for a good baker for example to do a day's work without regularly cleaning the table where he or she works, and it is even more...June 30th 202120 K5
The bitterness of endives
As I write these lines, we are entering the endive season, and if you like it, it's time to enjoy it, if possible with your local producers. Endive is good, but the reproach that is often made of it, and children in particular, is: "It's bitter! And it is (somewhat) true of course, endives...February 9th 201915 K4.9
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.